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Meet a real Therapist, Recreational, Mary Carson
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Mary E. Carson, Recreational Therapist, CTRS, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health
Mary E. Carson, Recreational Therapist, CTRS, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health

1. I chose this career because...

3. What I like best/least about my work...

4. My career goals are...

5. When I'm not working, I like to...


1. I chose this career because...

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Mary Carson observes a patient engaged in an arts and crafts project that is designed to work on manual dexterity.
Mary Carson observes a patient engaged in an arts and crafts project that is designed to work on manual dexterity.

I chose to become a recreational therapist because I enjoy helping people, and always knew I wanted a healthcare career. When I was a freshman in college, someone told me they were majoring in recreational therapy. I said, “Really? You can major in that?” That sounded perfect for me. Because I get bored easily, I thought that recreation would always be fun. When I first went to my university, I didn’t know for sure what I wanted to major in. Once of the reasons I chose my school was because they offered a lot of majors.

During high school years, I was in a work/study program and volunteered at a nursing home. The activities director assigned me to do the morning activity with the residents. This is typically the type of work a recreation therapist does. I led the residents in a chair exercise routine with the music of their era. Sometimes we would just have conversations about current events. Once-a-week, the laundry department would send up towels for us to fold. Those types of activities help residents to feel useful and productive.

A common misconception people have about recreation therapists is that they are very sports oriented. I’m not sporty at all. Most of my interests fall in the arts arena. I minored in theatre, and have always tried artistic outlets like dance, gymnastics, and singing in a chorus.

Education




3. What I like best/least about my work...

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Mary Carson sits with a client using a state-of-the art gaming system that is fun, but also has a therapeutic goal.
Mary Carson sits with a client using a state-of-the art gaming system that is fun, but also has a therapeutic goal.

What I like best about my work is meeting the clients and hearing their stories. I enjoy helping them reach therapeutic goals. Sometimes I can’t believe I get paid to go to the mall or movies, exercise, and do arts and crafts. At the same time, I know those activities are very important for the client’s therapy. I feel lucky that all my patients are volunteers. They want to be here, and that makes my job easier. I am also really fascinated by all the research that goes on at the NIH.

What I like least about my work is the repetition in training. Annual training is required. Much of it is a repeat of information. However, I understand that it is important to make sure we are always up to date. The good news is that they are working on making it easier to access and less time consuming.

4. My career goals are...

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A patient uses a Wii skiing game to work on balance, as Mary Carson oversees.
A patient uses a Wii skiing game to work on balance, as Mary Carson oversees.

My career goals include building upon my current education. I would like to get a master’s degree in counseling, which I believe will help me do my job better.

A more immediate goal is to structure a social skills group, based on theory and best known practices, while having a nice treatment model to follow with set steps, behavior goals, and skill building interventions.

I’m getting married this year, so my future goal is to have a family. I like the flexibility of this field. You can still have quality opportunities, even if you work part-time.

5. When I'm not working, I like to...

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Mary Carson uses different types of exercise equipment, like the stationary bikes pictured, to design fitness programs for her clients.
Mary Carson uses different types of exercise equipment, like the stationary bikes pictured, to design fitness programs for her clients.

When I’m not working, I love to travel. I like to bargain shop and love finding a really good deal. I enjoy going to theater productions, taking walks, dancing with my friends, and seeing local bands and music groups.


















































     
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