Recreation Therapist Senior

Title: Recreation Therapist Senior

State Role Title: Therapist II

Hiring Range: starting at $41,655 (commensurate based on experience)

Pay Band: 4

Agency: Dept Behavioral Health/Develop

Location:  Western State Hospital

Agency Website:  

Recruitment Type: General Public - G

Job Duties

Western State Hospital is seeking a full time Recreation Therapist Senior. This position is eligible for a sign on bonus of up to $3,000. *Must be new to state service in order to be eligible*

The Recreation Therapist Senior will plan and provide therapeutic recreation interventions; may supervise provision of services by subordinate staff; engage in 20 hours of active treatment in PSR programs each week; ensure programs are age appropriate and function as Rehab co-representation on admission unit.

The Recreation Therapist Senior will attend staff meetings to provide progress reports; interact with clients; manage Animal Assisted Therapy program; produce written evidence that the clinical process has been carried out; documentation of client group responses; conduct patient satisfaction surveys; and provide assigned affiliated TR interns with schedules, assignments, and clinical supervision.

This position will also complete all required paperwork and demonstrate competency as facilitator of PSR program by attaining passing score on competency summary completed by supervisor or PSR evaluator, or through supervisor observation; maintain an approved schedule; manage group schedule; and coordinate with the team on a unit budget.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualifications for this position are:

- graduation from college with a degree/emphasis in therapeutic recreation
- certification as CTRS required or CTRS eligible
- knowledge of therapeutic recreation theory and application
- skill in assessing program needs and developing TR interventions
- skill in working with CMI population providing recreation therapy services

Additional Considerations

Additional consideration will be given to applications with these factors:

- combination of experience and/or training in the psychiatric field
- bilingual
- veteran

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

Commonwealth’s Alternate Hiring Process: In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their Certificate of Disability (COD) provided by a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor within the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS to get their Certificate of Disability. If you need to get a Certificate of Disability, use this link: or call DARS at 800-552-5019.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact Human Resources at (540-332-8300) for assistance. Minorities, Individuals with disabilities, Veterans, and people with National Service experience are encouraged to apply. EEO/AA/TTY.

Western State Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment opportunities are open to all regardless of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability.


DBHDS is a healthcare organization and must comply with the federal CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care staff Vaccination Regulation which requires all employees to be vaccinated or receive an exemption. Upon acceptance of a job offer, new recruits will be asked to disclose their vaccination status (and for those fully vaccinated, proof of vaccination) during the pre-employment process. New staff who are not vaccinated for any reason or choose not to disclose their vaccination status, will need to request a medical or religious accommodation. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Contact Information

Name: Samantha Leep

Phone: 540-332-8306

Email:

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.