Facilitating Change Through Leisure: The Leisure and Well-Being Model of Therapeutic Recreation Practice

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Abstract

Research on the relationship between leisure and well-being has been underrepresented in the positive science literature (Caldwell L, Br J Guid Couns 33:7–26, 2005). And yet, what domain of life has the potential to contribute more to well-being? Leisure is vast. In leisure, a person can climb a mountain, sail a sea, write a poem, volunteer at a soup kitchen, read to a child, or watch a sunset. Leisure, wisely chosen, has the potential to enrich a life beyond measure. Yet oftentimes, people do not appreciate the value of leisure in creating a life of meaning; nor do they have the knowledge or skills necessary to reap the greatest benefit from leisure. The primary purpose of therapeutic recreation (TR), a profession within the broader discipline of leisure studies, is to help individuals, especially those with disabilities or illnesses, cultivate well-being through leisure. Specifically, therapeutic recreation professionals facilitate individuals’ ability to engage in leisure to address the challenges associated with having a disability or illness, while simultaneously supporting the development of capacities needed to increase positive emotion and to build a life of personal growth and meaning.

Keywords

Social Capital Emotion Regulation Positive Emotion Leisure Activity Personal Growth 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Brock UniversitySt. CatharinesCanada
  2. 2.CTRSUniversity of NevadaLas VegasUSA

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