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Throughout the last several decades, practice models have been used to describe the scope and nature of therapeutic recreation services. Changes in health and human services require updating our models to accurately reflect current practice. The TR Service Delivery and Outcome Models provide a comprehensive overview of contemporary professional therapeutic recreation practice. The components of the models are described and explained together with their theoretical foundations. A case study is used to make application to the field.
KEY WORDS: Service Components, Leisure Experience, Intervention, Outcomes, Quality of Life, Wellness/Health Status, Functional Capacity
Practice models provide a framework for visualizing, describing, and examining the interrelationship of the key components of professional practice. Although all models have their limitations, each is organized around underlying philosophies and belief systems which help to define and explain the nature and scope of the service, the nature of the client: therapist interaction, and the potential service outcomes. Since it is difficult to accurately describe all aspects of therapeutic recreation service in one practice model, this paper will present a description and rationale for two interrelated therapeutic recreation (TR) models. The TR Service Delivery Model provides an overview of the nature of service delivery and the TR Outcome Model focuses more specifically on service outcomes. Although presented as separate models, the Outcome Model should be viewed as an extension to the Service Delivery Model since it simply clarifies the service outcomes and shows the relationships among them.
Description of the Model Components
Service Delivery Model
The Service Delivery Model (see Figure I) describes the scope of therapeutic recreation services, the nature of therapeutic recreation services, and the relationship between the therapeutic recreation specialist and the client. The scope of service refers to the ingredients or components of a therapeutic recreation service. In this model the components are organized vertically and include diagnosis/needs assessment, treatment/rehabilitation, education, and prevention/health promotion. On the horizontal plane, the nature of service describes the specialist as one who assists the client in achieving his or her goals and is a facilitator of leisure experiences. Through the complex, dynamic process of participating in the intervention and/ or the leisure experience (nature of the relationship), the client is empowered to achieve her or his desired goals and optimally experience...