Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

About the role

This is a Full-Time 40 Hours Weekly position with the Department of Social Services. For more information on the DSS, please visit https://dss.sd.gov.

Responsibilities

• Work with nursing home residents, promoting social interactions, opportunities for leisure, and personal wellness through meaningful, activity-based interventions.
• Create engaging experiences, support wellbeing for the whole self, and contribute to a collaborative, purpose-driven environment.
• Plan, organize, and facilitate therapeutic recreation groups and individual sessions to address residents' social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual needs related to maintaining quality of life.
• Work effectively with residents of varying backgrounds, temperaments, and abilities in a therapeutic environment; establish and maintain professional relationships with residents and staff; collaborate with the interdisciplinary treatment team and provide therapeutic recreation input and recommendations.
• Attend all required Therapeutic Recreation events, meetings, and training.
• Manage time effectively and prioritize responsibilities; communicate and document information clearly and accurately; serve as a positive role model; demonstrate creativity and adaptability in programming; drive a van for community outings; be physically active, which may include swimming, running, jumping, bending, and lifting.
• Effectively communicate with Supervisor and Activity Center Coordinator regarding any problems, questions, or concerns.

Requirements

• CNA certification or ability to pass CNA certification required.
• A bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation Therapy, or a related health or human services field preferred; minimum of 2 years of experience working as a CNA in a nursing home or 1 year of experience leading therapeutic activity groups within a behavioral health or healthcare setting; qualifying experience leading therapeutic activity groups must include participation in treatment planning, documentation, and therapeutic group facilitation under recreational therapist guidance, with demonstrated competency in therapeutic recreation programming; experience working in a nursing home with people with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities.
• Knowledge Of mental illness, dementia care and treatment techniques; principles of human development; assessment and documentation methods; therapeutic process and group facilitation; treatment planning; leisure skills and leisure education.

Qualifications

• Ability To work effectively with residents of varying backgrounds, temperaments, and abilities in a therapeutic environment; establish and maintain professional relationships with residents and staff; collaborate with the interdisciplinary treatment team and provide therapeutic recreation input and recommendations.
• Attend all required Therapeutic Recreation events, meetings, and training.
• Manage time effectively and prioritize responsibilities; communicate and document information clearly and accurately; serve as a positive role model; demonstrate creativity and adaptability in programming; drive a van for community outings; be physically active, which may include swimming, running, jumping, bending, and lifting.
• Effectively communicate with Supervisor and Activity Center Coordinator regarding any problems, questions, or concerns.

Skills

• To plan, organize, and facilitate therapeutic recreation groups and individual sessions to address residents' social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual needs related to maintaining quality of life.
• Drive a van for community outings.
• Be physically active, which may include swimming, running, jumping, bending, and lifting.
• Communicate and document information clearly and accurately.
• Serve as a positive role model.
• Demonstrate creativity and adaptability in programming.

Benefits

• $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays.
• Generous vacation and sick leave accrual.
• Dental, vision, and other insurance options.
• Retail benefits.
• The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.

Pay

• $24.76 Hourly, depending on qualifications.

Schedule

• Primarily Monday–Friday, with flexible hours between 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. depending on program needs, along with a holiday rotation.
• The full-time position will work 40 hours per week.