The overriding mission of therapeutic recreation is the provision of purposeful intervention designed to help clients grow and to assist them to prevent or relieve problems through recreation and leisure. It is a systematic methodology through a progression of phases, including assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It is not a limited or restricted concept of service carried out only within the constraints of institutional care, but is a client-centered model that reflects a concern for the total well-being of the client. Recreation therapy is cost-effective and can decrease the costs of health care services by reducing primary and secondary disabilities. In anticipation of the expansion in long-term care, physical and psychiatric rehabilitation, and services for people with disabilities, the legislature finds and declares that the registration of recreational therapists is in the interest of the public health and safety.
[ 2002 c 216 § 1.]