How to hire recreational therapists

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
• Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs.
• Counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities.
• Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
• Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
• Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
• Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
• Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, speaking, critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of psychology, therapy and counseling, customer and personal service and education and training
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $29.79 an hour ($61,960 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for recreational therapists

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
7. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What recreational therapists do

• Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
• Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs.
• Counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities.
• Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
• Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
• Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
• Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
• Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionWritingActive LearningPsychologyTherapy and CounselingCustomer and Personal ServiceEducation and Training

Education, experience and outlook for recreational therapists

• Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
• Job outlook: +4.8% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 1,400 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay recreational therapists

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See recreational therapists pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Psychiatric Technicians
• Occupational Therapists
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Occupational Therapy Aides
• Physical Therapists
• Physical Therapist Aides
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• Therapists, All Other
• Physicians, All Other

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.