Liz Unruh (Host): Hello listeners, and thanks for tuning in to the Well Within Reach podcast brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Liz Unruh, and joining me today is Bridget King, who is a Certified Recreation Therapist at Riverside, and we'll be talking about the benefits of recreation therapy.

MyChart ad: Health care can be confusing, but thanks to your MyRiverside MyChart, you can easily manage not only your care, but your family's as well. With a single click, your MyRiverside MyChart lets you stay well connected to the same information your provider sees. You can view your health history, get test results, request prescription refills, pay your bill, or make an appointment. Manage your care from anywhere, your laptop, phone, or tablet. Learn more and enroll today at RiversideMyChart.org.

Host: Bridget, thanks for joining us today.

Bridget King: Thank you so much for having me.

Host: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Bridget King: Yeah, so my name is Bridget King. I'm the Recreational Therapist on the Mental Health Unit at Riverside Medical Center. I'm a cat lady. I love cats. I have two cats of my own and I love doing hair and makeup, too.

Host: Oh, I love that. Yeah. I'm more of a dog person.

Bridget King: Okay. I love dogs too, so. Okay. Yes, I like both.

Host: Okay. Just didn't want to start anything. No, that's okay. So, we're here today to talk about the benefits of recreation therapy. Can you explain a little bit about what recreation therapy is and how it's different from other forms of therapy?

Bridget King: Definitely. So recreational therapy is an activity based intervention, and it's used to address the needs of individuals, and their overall wellbeing. And, I chose to highlight a few different types of therapy, obviously the first one being recreational therapy, occupational therapy and art therapy.

And they all differ in their own ways. So, Recreational Therapy, is focused on leisure on a daily basis. It's constantly changing. You're not doing the same thing every day. It's fast paced. Occupational Therapy focuses on the ability of an individual to complete daily activities such as brushing your teeth, taking a shower. And Art Therapy focuses on creating an outlet such as painting, coloring, drawing, etc. for individuals to work through and express their trauma, feelings, and emotions.

Host: Okay, yeah. That's a really good, look at those three types of therapy, just very high level. So, talking more about recreation therapy, are there some common misconceptions people might have?

Bridget King: Yeah, one common misconception that comes to my mind is that recreational therapy is just about playing games for fun, kind of using it as a time filler. While it is a fun and enjoyable experience, it's also important to realize that through these activities, it can help individuals in areas where they may struggle, such as socialization, team building, confidence level, self esteem is a big one that it helps, and memory recognition and recall.

Host: Yeah, I think those are really big things, especially like, in older generations, the memory recall is huge. So, you touched on a couple of them, but how does recreation therapy contribute to the overall well being of an individual, particularly those with a physical or mental health challenge.

Bridget King: Mm-Hmm. So recreational therapy really focuses on reducing stress and anxiety. Like I said, building self-esteem, boosting mood, and providing a sense of joy. I think that's one of the biggest things that I see. People's moods are able to change through doing these activities. And also too, a lot of people, forget about that some people may have really high anxiety about being in the hospital. When you're working in the hospital setting, you kind of forget about that. That these people might not have been hospitalized before, and it kind of is a nice way to get their mind off of things for a little while.

Host: Yeah, for sure.

Bridget King: And it's really good because it stimulates the mind too.

Host: Yeah, I could definitely see where taking their mind off of the fact that they're in the hospital setting could be a huge benefit.

Bridget King: Definitely.

Host: Could you share some specific examples of activities or interventions that are used in recreation therapy and how they would benefit the participants?

Bridget King: A specific example of an activity that I use at work is called Coping Skills Categories. So the participants are to work together as a team, to come up with coping skills that start with each letter of the alphabet. And this is to promote team building, increase knowledge of coping skills in general, and incorporate education while also having fun. And at the end of the activity, I ask the participants to name current coping skills that they use, and any that they might want to try in the future, whether that be ones that we just named or ones that they thought of on their own.

Host: Yeah, I think that's really good. I have a question. Yes. What would be a Z letter coping skill?

Bridget King: Oh boy. Zumba. Have you heard of Zumba?

Host: Yes. Yes. Okay. Yeah.

Bridget King: That's the only thing I could think of is like some of those harder letters. I know.

Host: I could see where that would be a challenge.

Bridget King: I know. but if it works for the person, that's, you know, that's good.

Host: Yeah, for sure.

Bridget King: Zumba. I'm going to have to keep that one in mind.

Host: So, there's obviously lots of different types of patients and individuals that you come across. Are there specific ways that you tailor your therapy programs to meet the needs and goals of that individual?

Bridget King: Yeah, so, an important part for me and what I do is being able to build a relationship with the patient when they first arrive to the unit, if possible. I talk with them for a few minutes, ask them what kind of things they enjoy to do, what brings them joy, and then I kind of figure out on my own how I can incorporate that into my group sessions. So, it's really important to be able to know their interests and their likes so the activities can accommodate to that.

And then if an individual is struggling with the activity, a break is always offered. There's many areas on the unit that, they can take a break if they need five minutes. Or another activity can be offered, if they feel more comfortable doing an activity by themselves, that's also offered too. So there's many different ways to kind of tailor, you know, an activity if they're feeling stress or anxiety.

Host: Yeah, I think that's good. I know everyone's mental health journey is different, so it's good to be able to talk to somebody and see what their likes and dislikes are to help better serve that person and to give them the treatment that they need.

 Just a quick break to talk about finding a primary care provider. Riverside knows that health, especially your mental health, is your greatest asset and that your primary care provider is your partner in health. If you're starting out on your mental health journey, a great first step would be talking to your primary care provider. If you don't have a primary care provider, Riverside can help. Find a primary care provider that fits your needs at riversidehealthcare.org/primary care.

 And we're back! So, what role does recreation therapy play in helping individuals develop those social skills and form meaningful connections with others?

Bridget King: Yeah, so, promoting social skills within recreational therapy is probably one of the biggest things that recreational therapy promotes. So I've witnessed multiple groups of participants grow close with one another through recreational therapy.

It all starts at the beginning, you know, when one participant might ask another participant who's sitting out if they would like to join. That's really how it all begins. In my personal experience, I've seen some very shy people blossom after a few group sessions of rec therapy with their peers who support them.

Host: Yeah. I think that's really big is, you learn some of those coping skills or some of those things in the recreation therapy, and then you're like, Oh, I want this other person to join in and experience this as well. Can you discuss the impact of recreation therapy on mental health outcomes, such as reducing stress, anxiety, and depression? I know you touched on anxiety earlier, but on those types of things?

Bridget King: Yep. So, recreational therapy can have a positive impact on stress, anxiety, and depression, because it can boost one's mood by connecting with other individuals who may be struggling with similar feelings. It can also promote goal setting and knowledge of new coping skills to combat what's causing the specific feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Host: Yeah, I think those are, really the coping skills is the big thing. Being able to learn how to cope in a healthy way is huge. I know we talked about the improving your memory, aspect a little earlier, but how does the participation in these recreational type activities contribute to not just your improved memory and improved mental health, but also like physical health or mobility.

Bridget King: Yeah. So, alongside games in recreational therapy, there can also be movement activities, that can be incorporated. For example, there's one activity that I use that uses a multi sided foam ball, with various exercise movements on it. So I'll have the participants stand up and catch the ball, whatever their right thumb lands on, that's the exercise that the group will do. This promotes movement and energy release, knowledge of new exercises and coping skills. And there's also another example too, that I use with the geriatric unit, and it's a balloon toss. So, the participants will sit in a circle and each have a pool noodle to hit the balloon with. Ah,

Host: yes. Yep,

Bridget King: when it's near them. And this encourages movement and range of motion as well.

Host: Yeah. I think that's big. I've seen even our senior life communities do the balloon toss with the pool noodles. So, we're always looking at the upcoming trends and the future of health care. Are there any emerging trends or innovative approaches within the field of recreation therapy that you're particularly excited about?

Bridget King: Yeah. So one area of recreational therapy that has always interested me was the use of photography. The power of a picture to me is something that means a lot to you. It's really strong. So, I've incorporated making collages into my practice. It allows for the participant to describe their goals, dreams, and things they want. And things they enjoy in a new way, rather than just speaking about it. I also think it's awesome because the collage can be used for motivation when feeling down.

Host: Yeah, you can see those loved ones or things that you love to remind yourself, okay, there are good things. Yep. Yeah. So finally, my last question I have for you is, what advice would you give someone who is seeking mental health services for themselves or a loved one?

Bridget King: Sure. So, my advice to individuals who are looking to participate in recreational therapy, is to never be afraid of trying something new. You might learn to really love it and you might find a new hobby.

Host: Yeah, I think that's really great advice. Keep your mind open.

Bridget King: Yes. Yeah.

Host: Thank you, Bridget, for joining us today.

Bridget King: Thank you so much for having me.

Host: Yeah, and thank you for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast with Bridget King with Riverside Behavioral Medicine and your host, Liz Unruh. To learn more about the services provided by Riverside's Behavioral Medicine Department, visit our website at riversidehealthcare. org or call our Central Intake Department at 844-442-2551.