What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called activities therapist, activity therapist, adventure therapist and certified recreational therapist.
$61,960
Median pay a year
14,930
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Recreational Therapist resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Recreational Therapist
1 certification
Summary
Recreational therapist planning and coordinating medically-approved recreation programs for patients in hospitals and nursing homes, focusing on activities that enhance mental and physical well-being
Experience
Recreational Therapist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Conducted therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being
Instructed patients in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, and art, to meet their specific needs
Planned, organized, directed, and participated in treatment programs to facilitate rehabilitation and community integration
Observed, analyzed, and recorded patients' participation and progress during treatment sessions, modifying programs as needed
Developed treatment plans based on needs assessments, patient interests, and therapy objectives
Obtained information from medical records and family members to assess patients' capabilities and interests
Conferred with treatment team members to plan and evaluate therapy programs
Skills
Core Skills
Developing non-medical treatment plans, Gathering medical histories, Collecting medical professionals, Monitoring patient progress, Recording medical histories, Informing about patient conditions, Treating patients with therapy, Encouraging patients or clients, Developing medical treatment plans
Leading & Coordinating
Training patients
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Bachelor's Degree Your college, Year
Certifications & Licenses
State license for this work Your state board, Year
Yours will not say this. It will say what you did, in your own words, and Rung writes it with you one question at a time.
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What to put on a Recreational Therapist resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Instructed patients in various therapeutic activitiesConducted therapy sessions to enhance well-beingPlanned and organized treatment programs and activitiesObserved and recorded patients' progress during sessionsDeveloped treatment plans based on patient assessmentsConferred with treatment team to evaluate therapy programs
becomes
On your resume
Instructed patients in various therapeutic activities to promote engagement and recovery
Planned and organized treatment programs and activities tailored to individual patient needs
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Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Show what improved in patient engagement after your instruction
The line
Instructed patients in various therapeutic activities, leading to increased interest in their engagement and recovery
Show what improved in patient engagement after your instruction
Pick one that fits
Patients showed more interest in activitiesEngagement levels increased during sessions
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention how often you updated or modified these programs
The line
Planned and organized treatment programs and activities tailored to individual patient needs
Mention how often you updated or modified these programs
Pick one that fits
Regularly adjusted programs every few weeksUpdated plans based on patient feedbackModified activities for each session
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
What it is made of
Skills for a Recreational Therapist resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Developing non-medical treatment plans
Gathering medical histories
Collecting medical professionals
Monitoring patient progress
Developing medical treatment plans
Recording medical histories
Informing about patient conditions
Treating patients with therapy
Encouraging patients or clients
Training patients
Providing caregivers
The work itself
What a Recreational Therapist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Plan, direct, or coordinate medically-approved recreation programs for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, or other institutions. Activities include sports, trips, dramatics, social activities, and crafts. May assess a patient condition and recommend appropriate recreational activity.
What it pays
How much does a Recreational Therapist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$50,240
Median
$61,960
75th percentile
$79,930
About 14,930 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AL
$49,670
$57,360
$66,660
AR
$31,140
$42,670
$49,560
AZ
$55,820
$62,610
$82,490
CA
$79,820
$98,170
$107,830
CO
$55,010
$66,580
$78,420
CT
$51,190
$63,240
$81,330
DC
$60,600
$95,640
$109,970
DE
$44,190
$51,110
$60,710
FL
$47,480
$57,980
$66,480
GA
$47,340
$52,010
$64,360
HI
$57,200
$64,500
$85,360
IA
$50,910
$56,140
$64,290
ID
$47,290
$49,720
$60,510
IL
$49,700
$54,910
$65,120
IN
$45,560
$53,770
$63,450
KS
$34,880
$40,010
$50,370
KY
$49,280
$59,240
$64,150
LA
$43,150
$51,150
$61,590
MA
$53,260
$62,820
$72,760
MD
$45,420
$64,300
$77,600
ME
$50,530
$57,560
$75,650
MI
$51,180
$61,700
$72,010
MN
$65,160
$76,360
$84,200
MO
$49,660
$58,620
$67,280
MS
$34,800
$39,560
$53,170
MT
$47,740
$51,110
$62,900
NC
$45,950
$51,030
$63,860
ND
$48,530
$58,370
$63,010
NE
$47,430
$62,980
$72,650
NH
$67,290
$82,280
$86,530
NJ
$55,890
$60,400
$75,180
NM
$43,790
$49,210
$68,320
NV
$56,640
$78,730
$82,100
NY
$57,980
$65,520
$78,180
OH
$50,110
$60,770
$72,840
OK
$41,490
$50,480
$62,310
OR
$62,770
$66,530
$70,320
PA
$47,820
$58,940
$65,870
PR
$27,630
$28,140
$54,080
SC
$42,060
$48,880
$60,980
SD
$42,130
$46,850
$60,000
TN
$48,090
$51,910
$61,220
TX
$47,550
$62,490
$99,260
UT
$48,510
$56,640
$67,210
VA
$55,520
$61,270
$78,170
VT
$57,660
$63,380
$68,790
WA
$65,940
$77,860
$92,930
WI
$52,470
$59,350
$70,370
WV
$42,460
$49,010
$62,420
Other names
Other names for this job
activities therapist, activity therapist, adventure therapist, certified recreational therapist, creative arts therapist, dance therapist, drama therapist, general activities therapist, horticultural therapist, music rehabilitation therapist, recreation therapist, rehabilitation therapist.
This page is about the occupation Recreational Therapists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.