Description of myself and my personal interests!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Introduction to Me
I graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.S. in Recreational Therapy. With a wide variety of courses from anthropology to facilitating ropes courses I learned to love the Mountains.
Currently I live in Mountain City TN and living in the beautiful mountains of eastern Tennessee has its perks. One of those perks is that it allows me to enjoy what nature has to offer; whether nature comes in the form of a hiking trail or a river is up to me. Another perk that comes to mind is that when I wake up every morning being surrounded by mountains allows me to feel free- don't talk about the variability of weather patterns. I love to road bicycle and Mountain City, TN has so many routes to ride! Weather and time permitting I generally ride after work for an hour, though sometimes I have gone longer. I have kayaked since the age of 12 and yes I don't kayak enough I am in the perfect location to do so.
My work at Mountain Youth Academy consists of being a Recreational therapist; I work on a treatment team that consists of Social Workers and counselors. The population at Mountain Youth Academy are children and teens ages 6 - 17.9 (almost adults) in residential care that have undergone trauma in their lives. I plan interventions that are delivered in group format which can involve multiple outcomes; helping a child develop skills of cooperation, learning about leisure and its many benefits, and allowing a child to explore their body's senses are a few. I feel as if I will be working in the field of trauma for awhile and that it is a calling of mine.
My career goal is to expand the reach of Recreational Therapy services. Currently my professional organization, ATRA (American Therapeutic Recreation Association) is pursuing licensure of Recreational Therapists in all 50 states. Unfortunately I am certified but not licensed; licensure protects the consumer from harm and may justify reimbursement of Recreational therapy services. While many will criticize Recreational therapy for not being serious one needs to consider the adverse impacts of not having leisure time and how recreational therapy in a community setting can be a preventative measure of many illnesses and diseases in our country today.
Currently I live in Mountain City TN and living in the beautiful mountains of eastern Tennessee has its perks. One of those perks is that it allows me to enjoy what nature has to offer; whether nature comes in the form of a hiking trail or a river is up to me. Another perk that comes to mind is that when I wake up every morning being surrounded by mountains allows me to feel free- don't talk about the variability of weather patterns. I love to road bicycle and Mountain City, TN has so many routes to ride! Weather and time permitting I generally ride after work for an hour, though sometimes I have gone longer. I have kayaked since the age of 12 and yes I don't kayak enough I am in the perfect location to do so.
My work at Mountain Youth Academy consists of being a Recreational therapist; I work on a treatment team that consists of Social Workers and counselors. The population at Mountain Youth Academy are children and teens ages 6 - 17.9 (almost adults) in residential care that have undergone trauma in their lives. I plan interventions that are delivered in group format which can involve multiple outcomes; helping a child develop skills of cooperation, learning about leisure and its many benefits, and allowing a child to explore their body's senses are a few. I feel as if I will be working in the field of trauma for awhile and that it is a calling of mine.
My career goal is to expand the reach of Recreational Therapy services. Currently my professional organization, ATRA (American Therapeutic Recreation Association) is pursuing licensure of Recreational Therapists in all 50 states. Unfortunately I am certified but not licensed; licensure protects the consumer from harm and may justify reimbursement of Recreational therapy services. While many will criticize Recreational therapy for not being serious one needs to consider the adverse impacts of not having leisure time and how recreational therapy in a community setting can be a preventative measure of many illnesses and diseases in our country today.
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| Hiking in Mount Rogers Wilderness Area near Damascus, VA. |
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| Rachel and I at her best friend's wedding in October 2012. |
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