Communicate through www.myrecreationtherapist.com, not your personal email or by text until you have established a mutual professional relationship with your Recreation Therapist.
- Start by screening potential candidates
Conduct an initial screening to create a short list of recreation therapist who fit your needs.
Review recreation therapist profiles
When you receive applicants for a job or search local recreation therapist, closely review their experience, education, certifications, and hourly rate.
Read Consumer Reviews
See what other consumer who have hired a particular recreation therapist in the past have to say. Their insight about a recreation therapist performance and personality can help you decide if someone is a good fit for your family.
Run Basic Background Checks
It is important to know that background checks are not automatically run on recreation therapist. So, once you have a short list of candidates, we recommend you run a Basic Background Check on each one if that back ground check is not already provided. This preliminary check will search various court databases to see if their names appear. If a candidate does not pass this part of the screening process, we’ll remove them from the website. My Recreation Therapist.com does not provide or conduct background checks or screenings.
We will do our best to ensure that all recreation therapists are currently certified or licensed. If you would like you can easily check the certification status of a recreation therapist at www.nctrc.org
- Interview candidates
Once you’ve narrowed your search to three-to-five candidates, it’s time to conduct interviews.
Reach out to your short list
Remember that it is always necessary to act with caution when communicating with anyone you do not know. We recommend when you connect with a potential recreation therapist, you communicate through www.myrecreationthrapist.com and don’t give your last name, personal e-mail address, home address, phone number, place of work or other identifying information. Also, don’t hesitate to stop communicating with anyone who pressures you for personal or financial information and notify member services immediately by email. My Recreation Therapist.com will do everything possible to ensure that our therapist are CTRS or LRT certified but we DO NOT RUN CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS on our therapists. support@myrecreationtherapist.com.
Conduct phone interviews
Start with a brief phone interview with candidates you’d like to get to know. Just 10 minutes over the phone can help you determine a lot about their professionalism, personality, and experience. Listen to your intuition — if something doesn’t feel right, then pass on that particular candidate; no amount of questioning will settle those initial feelings.
Meet for in-person interviews
Now you should have a good feeling about which recreation therapist might be a good hire. Meet your final list of candidates face-to-face to ask more in-depth questions. You’ll want to make sure you’re both on the same page about job specifics, discipline, responsibilities, and any other expectations you may have. For your initial in-person interview, you should meet the recreation therapist at a popular public place with other people around. Always provide your own transportation and tell someone in your family or a friend where you are going and when you will return. That way you can further evaluate each recreation therapist before inviting them into your home.
Get consumer approval
Even if you’re already leaning towards a particular candidate, be sure to introduce them to your family member receiving the services to see how everyone interacts. If things go well, your loved ones could help you identify the top candidates. And if a recreation therapist has trouble handling your loved ones while you’re around, they probably can’t handle them if you need to leave.
- Verify your recreation therapist history and background
Check references
Reach out to the references listed on the recreation therapist profile to gain additional insight, and don’t hesitate to request more references. Be sure to verify the information your potential therapist has given you is correct and ask questions about how they performed on the job.
Look for clues elsewhere online
Chances are your potential recreation therapist has several online profiles that can provide clues about their personality and hobbies. Search recreation therapist names online and check out social media activity to spot any red flags.
Run a more comprehensive background check
Before selecting your final candidate you should run an Enhanced Background Check. If your recreation therapist will be driving your loved ones, we recommend you run a Motor Vehicles Records Check as well. These checks can provide more information about a therapist background to help make your final decision. My RecreationTherapist.com does not conduct background checks.
- Monitor the relationship to ensure it continues to be a good fit
Once you’ve hired a recreation therapist, observe them on the job to ensure they’re meeting your expectations. Ask for a brief progress report on how the day went and also expect to see the care plan and receive progress notes on a regular basis. It’s also a good idea to ask your loved one how they’re enjoying their time with their Recreation Therapist; their reactions or feelings could reveal a lot about what’s happening.
Check in frequently to monitor progress
Good communication with your therapist will lead to a good relationship. Be sure to get at least a five-minute report each day. Once a month, sit down with your therapist and get his/her perspective on how things are going. It is not uncommon for a Recreation Therapist to provide written weekly/monthly progress notes.
Leaving your loved one with a new therapist can be tough; with these tips, you’ll feel more secure and confident that you’ve found the right fit for your family. In return, your therapist will feel trusted and valued — a great start to a strong relationship with one of the most important people in your life.