Recreational Therapist (CTRS) Recruiters
Healthcare Headhunters recruits healthcare professionals for employers. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hiring a recreational therapist means finding someone who connects purposeful activities to treatment goals, rather than simply filling an activity calendar.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
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What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
Healthcare Headhunters recruits recreational therapists for permanent roles in rehabilitation, behavioral health, long-term care, and other treatment settings. We ask how candidates assess interests, select interventions, adapt participation, and document progress. You define the population, treatment responsibilities, and team relationships before we begin the search.
Start by separating recreational therapy from general recreation programming. A therapist may assess functional barriers, establish treatment goals, deliver therapeutic interventions, and evaluate outcomes. An activity coordinator may focus on events and participation.
The shift matters as much as the title. If a therapist leads a group after individual assessments, they must account for mobility, cognition, behavior, and patient preferences. Ask how they change a session when participation differs from the plan. A useful answer connects that change to a documented goal.
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
What do we check before you see anyone?
Verify the credential: Ask, “Is your Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist certification current, and how can we verify it?” Check CTRS status through the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. Confirm any applicable state license separately; certification does not replace a required license.
- Test assessment reasoning: Ask, “How would you assess someone whose interests are clear but communication is limited?” Look for appropriate information gathering, observation, accessible choices, and collaboration. The answer should distinguish a preferred activity from a therapeutic goal.
- Examine intervention choices: Ask, “Describe how you selected an activity for a specific treatment goal.” Look for a clear connection between the assessment, intervention, adaptations, and outcome measures. Naming popular games or outings alone does not demonstrate treatment planning.
- Explore group decisions: Ask, “What would you do if one participant needed individual support during a group?” Look for awareness of staffing, safety procedures, the remaining participants, and when to seek help. Ask what would change before the next session.
- Review documentation: Ask, “What would your note show beyond attendance?” Useful answers describe the intervention, participation, observed response, progress toward goals, and next steps. Ask how the candidate communicates relevant findings to the treatment team without copying the same note across patients.
- Clarify practical boundaries: Ask, “Which decisions would you make independently, and which would you discuss with another clinician?” Look for examples involving mobility precautions, behavioral concerns, community outings, or equipment. Compare the answer with your role’s actual responsibilities.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
We look at candidates from inpatient rehabilitation, behavioral health programs, skilled nursing facilities, pediatric services, and community-based treatment programs. Backgrounds differ. Someone experienced with structured inpatient groups may need a closer discussion about home visits, outings, or managing a less predictable daily schedule.
A therapist might consider moving for a different patient population, clearer treatment responsibilities, stronger clinical supervision, or a workable schedule. We ask what they want to change and compare that answer with your opening. Interest in your setting matters more than assuming every CTRS has interchangeable experience.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is advertising a therapy role while describing only entertainment and event planning. State whether assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and team meetings belong to the position. Another is treating CTRS certification as proof of experience with your population. Ask about specific diagnoses, participation barriers, and intervention decisions relevant to your service.
Leaving weekend groups, outing responsibilities, supply management, or documentation time unexplained. Candidates need to understand the full workday before judging whether the role fits.
How would we run the search for this opening?
We discuss your population, referral process, group and individual work, supervision, schedule, and documentation system. We screen credentials, work history, and fit through concrete questions about assessment, sessions, adaptations, and charting. Compare shortlisted candidates by asking each to explain an assessment, a group adaptation, and a progress note from a fictional case relevant to your population.
Define the assignment
You identify required credentials and any license needed for the location. We also clarify whether the therapist develops programming or inherits an established schedule.
Screen the evidence
You complete your own credentialing and clinical assessment, including any interview exercise or work sample your hiring process uses.
Agree on the search
Judge whether their reasoning links participation to treatment goals and respects the therapist’s scope. Discuss any gaps in population experience before deciding whom to hire. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
National median annual wage. SOC 29-1125, Recreational Therapists.
The published occupation matches Recreational Therapist (CTRS). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
Open roles
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Should CTRS certification be mandatory for this opening?
Decide based on the duties, applicable law, and your facility’s standards. If it is mandatory, state that clearly and verify current status rather than accepting initials on a résumé. If your opening combines these duties, explain how much time belongs to each.
How can we assess charting during the interview?
Provide a fictional session scenario and ask for a brief note. Look for observed responses and goal-related progress, not unsupported conclusions or attendance alone.
Can an activities background substitute for therapy experience?
It may offer useful programming skills, but it does not establish assessment or treatment-planning competence. Ask for separate evidence of those duties and verify the credentials your opening needs.
What should we discuss about community outings?
Explain transportation, staffing, accessibility, approvals, and emergency procedures. Ask how the candidate would evaluate an outing’s therapeutic purpose and plan for foreseeable participation barriers.
How do we compare inpatient and community candidates?
Compare actual responsibilities rather than setting labels. Ask each candidate about referral decisions, independent work, team communication, and documenting outcomes within your proposed service.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us who the therapist will serve and what treatment work belongs to the role. We can help turn those details into a focused search.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Audiologist (AuD) · Athletic Trainer (ATC, clinical and industrial)
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.