Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Art therapist to recreational therapist

An art therapist already meets 57% 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 art therapist
57 % overlap
Partial match
To recreational therapist
54 You already bring
3 Still to learn
96 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.6/ 100

1 How much of what a recreational therapist is expected to do is already part of an art 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 art 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 54 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 art therapist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held apply art therapy interventions assisting and caring
  • already held assess art therapy sessions information skills
  • already held prepare treatment plan for art therapy assisting and caring
  • already held take referred patients assisting and caring
  • already held theory of art therapy health and welfare
  • already held use art in a therapeutic setting assisting and caring

All 54 carried skills, including the 5 the recreational therapist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 42 missing skills fall into 10 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, 6 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 music therapy methods optional
  • optional, not held apply music therapy treatment methods optional
  • optional, not held perform therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held plan music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held recognise patients' reaction to therapy optional
  • optional, not held empathise with the healthcare user optional
02 health and welfare 10 supplementary
  • optional, not held autism optional
  • optional, not held dance therapy optional
  • optional, not held music therapy processes 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 information skills 7 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply risk management in sports 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 record treated patient's information optional
04 social sciences, journalism and information 7 supplementary
  • optional, not held anthropology optional
  • optional, not held eating disorders optional
  • optional, not held psychoacoustics optional
  • optional, not held reflexion optional
  • optional, not held peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held psychology optional
  • optional, not held psychotherapy principles optional
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 supplementary
  • optional, not held develop a repertoire for music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held perform dances optional
  • optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
  • optional, not held write work-related reports optional
06 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held animal therapy optional

4 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 54 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 accept own accountability skill
  • already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
  • already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
  • already held applied music therapy knowledge
  • already held apply art therapy interventions skill
  • already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
  • already held apply organisational techniques skill
  • already held apply psychoanalysis skill
  • already held assess art therapy sessions skill
  • already held behavioural therapy knowledge
  • already held cognitive behavioural therapy knowledge
  • already held cognitive psychology knowledge
  • already held communicate in healthcare skill
  • already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
  • already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
  • already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
  • already held deal with emergency care situations skill
  • already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
  • already held encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring skill
  • already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
  • already held fine arts knowledge
  • already held handle patient trauma skill
  • already held health care legislation knowledge
  • already held human psychological development knowledge
  • already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
  • already held manage healthcare users' data skill
  • already held organise relapse prevention skill
  • already held pedagogy knowledge
  • already held philosophy knowledge
  • already held practice gestalt therapy skill
  • already held prepare treatment plan for art therapy skill
  • already held promote inclusion skill
  • already held psychoanalysis knowledge
  • already held psychopathology knowledge
  • already held psychosociology knowledge
  • already held refer healthcare users skill
  • already held relaxation techniques knowledge
  • already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
  • already held sexology knowledge
  • already held sociology knowledge
  • already held take referred patients skill
  • already held theory of art therapy knowledge
  • already held use art in a therapeutic setting skill
  • already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
  • already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
  • already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
  • already held victimology knowledge
  • already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
  • already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held health care occupation-specific ethics optional
08 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held control animal movement 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
39 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held animal therapy optional
  • optional, not held anthropology 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 risk management in sports optional
  • optional, not held assess music therapy sessions optional
  • optional, not held autism optional
  • optional, not held control animal movement 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 identify patients' behaviours optional
  • optional, not held music therapy processes optional
  • optional, not held observe healthcare users 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 psychoacoustics optional
  • optional, not held psychopharmacology 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 types of music therapies optional
  • optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
  • optional, not held disability types optional
  • optional, not held empathise with the healthcare user optional
  • optional, not held geriatrics 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 peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held psychology optional
  • optional, not held psychotherapy principles optional
  • optional, not held record treated patient's information optional
  • optional, not held write work-related reports optional
12 held skills the recreational therapist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role challenge patient behaviour by means of art skill
  • not needed by the target role define creative components skill
  • not needed by the target role develop educational materials on art therapy skill
  • not needed by the target role enable patients to explore artworks skill
  • not needed by the target role follow clinical guidelines skill
  • not needed by the target role formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy skill
  • not needed by the target role interact with healthcare users skill
  • not needed by the target role neurophysiology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role psychological theories knowledge
  • not needed by the target role schedule artistic activities skill
  • not needed by the target role techniques of practice in art therapy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use techniques to increase patients' motivation skill
20 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 animal therapy optional
  • optional, not held anthropology optional
  • optional, not held autism 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 psychopharmacology optional
  • optional, not held reflexion optional
  • optional, not held types of music therapies optional
  • optional, not held disability types optional
  • optional, not held geriatrics 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 peer group methods optional
  • optional, not held psychology optional
  • optional, not held psychotherapy principles optional
Index

Other moves recorded from art therapist

Full index of moves from art therapist

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an art therapist become a recreational therapist?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An art therapist already covers 57% of what a recreational therapist is expected to do: 54 skills carry over, 5 of which the recreational therapist role treats as required.

What skills does an art therapist need to become a recreational therapist?

3 required skills are missing, plus 39 optional ones. They fall into 10 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 art therapist to recreational therapist?

Its learning distance is 55.6 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.