Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Animal assisted therapist to recreational therapist

An animal assisted therapist already meets 26% of what the recreational therapist role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From animal assisted therapist
26 % overlap
Distant match
To recreational therapist
19 You already bring
3 Still to learn
96 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

80.5/ 100

1 How much of what a recreational therapist is expected to do is already part of an animal assisted therapist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the recreational therapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A recreational therapist role treats 5 of its required skills as things an animal assisted therapist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assess the patient's therapeutic needs
  • develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship
  • listen actively
  • maintain healthcare user data confidentiality
  • provide health education

What stands in the way is 3 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A recreational therapist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an animal assisted therapist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held animal therapy agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
  • already held assess the patient's therapeutic needs information skills
  • already held handle patient trauma assisting and caring
  • already held work with healthcare users' social network communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held behavioural therapy social sciences, journalism and information
  • already held human psychological development social sciences, journalism and information

All 19 carried skills, including the 5 the recreational therapist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 77 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 assisting and caring 3 required, 18 supplementary
  • still to learn perform therapeutic musical repertoire required
  • still to learn respond to incidents in music therapy sessions required
  • still to learn review music therapy treatment approaches required
  • optional, not held apply art therapy interventions optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy methods optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy treatment methods optional
  • optional, not held apply psychoanalysis optional
  • optional, not held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice optional
  • optional, not held ensure safety of healthcare users optional
  • optional, not held organise relapse prevention optional
  • optional, not held perform therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held plan music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held practice gestalt therapy optional
  • optional, not held prepare treatment plan for art therapy optional
  • optional, not held recognise patients' reaction to therapy optional
  • optional, not held use art in a therapeutic setting optional
  • optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
  • optional, not held comply with legislation related to health care optional
  • optional, not held empathise with the healthcare user optional
  • optional, not held promote inclusion optional
  • optional, not held take referred patients optional
02 health and welfare 13 supplementary
  • optional, not held applied music therapy optional
  • optional, not held autism optional
  • optional, not held dance therapy optional
  • optional, not held music therapy processes optional
  • optional, not held psychopathology optional
  • optional, not held theory of art therapy optional
  • optional, not held types of music therapies optional
  • optional, not held disability types optional
  • optional, not held geriatrics optional
  • optional, not held human physiology optional
  • optional, not held medical studies optional
  • optional, not held neurology optional
  • optional, not held paediatrics optional
03 social sciences, journalism and information 13 supplementary
  • optional, not held anthropology optional
  • optional, not held cognitive behavioural therapy optional
  • optional, not held eating disorders optional
  • optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
  • optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
  • optional, not held psychosociology optional
  • optional, not held reflexion optional
  • optional, not held cognitive psychology optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held psychology optional
  • optional, not held psychotherapy principles optional
  • optional, not held sexology optional
  • optional, not held victimology optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 12 supplementary
  • optional, not held accept own accountability optional
  • optional, not held advise on healthcare users' informed consent optional
  • optional, not held apply context specific clinical competences optional
  • optional, not held develop a repertoire for music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring optional
  • optional, not held perform dances optional
  • optional, not held work in multidisciplinary health teams optional
  • optional, not held communicate in healthcare optional
  • optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
  • optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
  • optional, not held work in a multicultural environment in health care optional
  • optional, not held write work-related reports optional
05 information skills 9 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply risk management in sports optional
  • optional, not held assess art therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held assess music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
  • optional, not held identify patients' behaviours optional
  • optional, not held observe healthcare users optional
  • optional, not held record healthcare users' progress related to treatment optional
  • optional, not held manage healthcare users' data optional
  • optional, not held record treated patient's information optional
06 arts and humanities 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held fine arts optional
  • optional, not held health care occupation-specific ethics optional
  • optional, not held philosophy optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a recreational therapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 19 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assess the patient's therapeutic needs skill
  • already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
  • already held listen actively skill
  • already held maintain healthcare user data confidentiality skill
  • already held provide health education skill
  • already held animal therapy knowledge
  • already held apply organisational techniques skill
  • already held behavioural therapy knowledge
  • already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
  • already held control animal movement skill
  • already held deal with emergency care situations skill
  • already held handle patient trauma skill
  • already held human psychological development knowledge
  • already held refer healthcare users skill
  • already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
  • already held sociology knowledge
  • already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
  • already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
  • already held work with healthcare users' social network skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held health care legislation optional
08 education 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held pedagogy optional
09 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply music therapy assessment methods optional
10 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held psychopharmacology optional
11 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
12 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use e-health and mobile health technologies optional
74 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held applied music therapy optional
  • optional, not held accept own accountability optional
  • optional, not held advise on healthcare users' informed consent optional
  • optional, not held anthropology optional
  • optional, not held apply art therapy interventions optional
  • optional, not held apply context specific clinical competences optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy assessment methods optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy methods optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy treatment methods optional
  • optional, not held apply psychoanalysis optional
  • optional, not held apply risk management in sports optional
  • optional, not held assess art therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held assess music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held autism optional
  • optional, not held cognitive behavioural therapy optional
  • optional, not held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice optional
  • optional, not held dance therapy optional
  • optional, not held develop a repertoire for music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
  • optional, not held eating disorders optional
  • optional, not held encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring optional
  • optional, not held ensure safety of healthcare users optional
  • optional, not held identify patients' behaviours optional
  • optional, not held music therapy processes optional
  • optional, not held observe healthcare users optional
  • optional, not held organise relapse prevention optional
  • optional, not held perform dances optional
  • optional, not held perform therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held plan music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held practice gestalt therapy optional
  • optional, not held prepare treatment plan for art therapy optional
  • optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
  • optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
  • optional, not held psychopathology optional
  • optional, not held psychopharmacology optional
  • optional, not held psychosociology optional
  • optional, not held recognise patients' reaction to therapy optional
  • optional, not held record healthcare users' progress related to treatment optional
  • optional, not held reflexion optional
  • optional, not held theory of art therapy optional

34 further entries not listed here

11 held skills the recreational therapist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role animal behaviour knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assistive instruments knowledge
  • not needed by the target role evaluation of psychological performance knowledge
  • not needed by the target role instruct animals for therapy purposes skill
  • not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
  • not needed by the target role palliative care knowledge
  • not needed by the target role performance diagnosis knowledge
  • not needed by the target role promote animal welfare skill
  • not needed by the target role recruit animal handlers skill
  • not needed by the target role select therapy animals skill
  • not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
33 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held applied music therapy optional
  • optional, not held anthropology optional
  • optional, not held autism optional
  • optional, not held cognitive behavioural therapy optional
  • optional, not held dance therapy optional
  • optional, not held eating disorders optional
  • optional, not held music therapy processes optional
  • optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
  • optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
  • optional, not held psychopathology optional
  • optional, not held psychopharmacology optional
  • optional, not held psychosociology optional
  • optional, not held reflexion optional
  • optional, not held theory of art therapy optional
  • optional, not held types of music therapies optional
  • optional, not held cognitive psychology optional
  • optional, not held disability types optional
  • optional, not held fine arts optional
  • optional, not held geriatrics optional
  • optional, not held health care legislation optional
  • optional, not held health care occupation-specific ethics optional
  • optional, not held human physiology optional
  • optional, not held medical studies optional
  • optional, not held neurology optional
  • optional, not held paediatrics optional
  • optional, not held pedagogy optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held philosophy optional
  • optional, not held psychology optional
  • optional, not held psychotherapy principles optional
  • optional, not held relaxation techniques optional
  • optional, not held sexology optional
  • optional, not held victimology optional
Index

Other moves recorded from animal assisted therapist

Full index of moves from animal assisted therapist

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an animal assisted therapist become a recreational therapist?

Yes, and it is a career change move. An animal assisted therapist already covers 26% of what a recreational therapist is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 5 of which the recreational therapist role treats as required.

What skills does an animal assisted therapist need to become a recreational therapist?

3 required skills are missing, plus 74 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is perform therapeutic musical repertoire.

How hard is the move from animal assisted therapist to recreational therapist?

Its learning distance is 80.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.