Therapeutic Recreation and Expressive Therapies

This course equips Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) direct care staff with practical skills to use recreational and expressive therapies in daily work with youth. Designed specifically for caregivers, the training explores how art, music, movement, and play can be used to support treatment goals, emotional processing, and relationship building. Staff will learn the therapeutic value of creative activities, how to adapt them for diverse abilities, and how to facilitate meaningful engagement for youth with varying needs and backgrounds.

The course emphasizes hands-on approaches and person-centered best practices, focusing on integrating expressive and recreational activities into daily routines. Caregivers will gain confidence in facilitating group and individual activities, supporting youth in expressing emotions, and using play therapy concepts to build trust and resilience. All content aligns with current California Title 22 regulations for STRTP caregivers and is informed by federal standards for safety, privacy, and inclusivity. This training is ideal for direct care staff seeking practical, creative strategies to enhance the therapeutic environment and promote positive outcomes for youth in residential care. 

⚠️ Important Notice: To comply with California Title 22 regulation, it is mandatory to complete the full required time for each section in order to receive credit.

➡️ Each section has a required time to complete. Check the course outline below to see how long each section takes. You must spend the full time in each section before moving to the next one.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methods will include the use of multiple video presentations, ebook, and PDF accompanying question/answer sections. Upon completion of the course, key points and references are available in a PDF format for students to refer to post-class and use in their business. A certificate of completion will be provided at the end of each course.

Method of Course Evaluation by Participants: 

There will be a required course evaluation form before a certificate is awarded.

Method of Evaluating Participants:

For each credit hour, there will be 4 quizzes consisting of 5 questions each pertaining to the testing of knowledge of the module.

Method of Verifying Active Student Participation for Course Duration (for Self-Paced courses only):

123ceu.com offers several ways to monitor user engagement and ensure active student participation in self-paced courses. These methods include tracking activity reports, events logs, user progress, course insights, gradebooks, video analytics, and more. A certificate will only be awarded after the student has successfully finished all mandatory sections of the course.