Diversional therapy
Encyclopedia
In Australia, Diversional Therapy “is a client centred practice [that] recognises that leisure and recreational experiences are the right of all individuals.” Diversional Therapists promote the involvement in leisure, recreation and play by reducing barriers to their client's participation and providing opportunities where the individual may choose to participate. Ideally these recreational activities promote self-esteem
and personal fulfillment, through an emphasis on holistic care; providing physical, psychological, social, intellectual and spiritual/cultural support.
Diversional Therapists work in a wide variety of settings, such as
Rehabilitation & hospital units,
Justice Centres,
Community Centres,
Day and Respite services,
Aged Care Residential Facilities,
Ethnic Specific Services,
Palliative Care Units and Outreach Programmes,
Mental Health Services,
Specialist Organisations,
Private Practice,
Consultancy &
Management
The diversional therapist works with a client to achieve positive health outcomes by incorporating leisure programmes into their lifestyles. He or she assists decision-making and participation when developing and managing these programmes. These are often quite diverse and can range from:
· Games, outings, gardening, computers, gentle exercise, music
, arts and crafts.
· Individual emotional and social support
· Sensory enrichment, activities like massage and aromatherapy
, pet therapy
· Discussion groups, education sessions like grooming, beauty care, cooking
· Social, cultural and spiritual activities
Diversional Therapy is not just about passing the time, about being entertainers or babysitters. As an unknown author once said "Recreation's purpose is not to kill time, but to make time live; not to keep people occupied, but to keep them refreshed; not to offer an escape from life, but to provide a discovery of life."
or degree
in diversional therapy or leisure and health studies and this course needs to be recognised by the Diversional Therapy Association of Australia. Entry to the degree courses usually requires completion of your HSC/ACT Year 12 with prerequisite subjects, or assumed knowledge, in one or more of English, chemistry
or biology
. The various universities have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry requirements or offer external study. Contact the universities you are interested in for more information as requirements may change.
has many well documented health related benefits.
Physical Benefits can include:
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Decrease in heart rate
• Increase in bone mass and strength
• Increase in lung capacity
• Reduction in incidence of diabetes
• Increase in muscle strength
• Increase in sense of well being
• Increase in flexibility, balance and coordination
• Improvement in immune system
Emotional Benefits can include:
• Happiness
• Life satisfaction
• Morale
• Self-concept
• Self-esteem
• Perceived sense of freedom
• Independence
• Autonomy
• Self-confidence
• Leadership skills
• Tolerance/Understanding
• Problem solving skills
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
and personal fulfillment, through an emphasis on holistic care; providing physical, psychological, social, intellectual and spiritual/cultural support.
Diversional Therapists work in a wide variety of settings, such as
Rehabilitation & hospital units,
Justice Centres,
Community Centres,
Day and Respite services,
Aged Care Residential Facilities,
Ethnic Specific Services,
Palliative Care Units and Outreach Programmes,
Mental Health Services,
Specialist Organisations,
Private Practice,
Consultancy &
Management
The diversional therapist works with a client to achieve positive health outcomes by incorporating leisure programmes into their lifestyles. He or she assists decision-making and participation when developing and managing these programmes. These are often quite diverse and can range from:
· Games, outings, gardening, computers, gentle exercise, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, arts and crafts.
· Individual emotional and social support
· Sensory enrichment, activities like massage and aromatherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health....
, pet therapy
· Discussion groups, education sessions like grooming, beauty care, cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
· Social, cultural and spiritual activities
Diversional Therapy is not just about passing the time, about being entertainers or babysitters. As an unknown author once said "Recreation's purpose is not to kill time, but to make time live; not to keep people occupied, but to keep them refreshed; not to offer an escape from life, but to provide a discovery of life."
Becoming a Diversional Therapist
To become a diversional therapist in Australia you must complete a diplomaDiploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
or degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in diversional therapy or leisure and health studies and this course needs to be recognised by the Diversional Therapy Association of Australia. Entry to the degree courses usually requires completion of your HSC/ACT Year 12 with prerequisite subjects, or assumed knowledge, in one or more of English, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
or biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. The various universities have different prerequisites and some have flexible entry requirements or offer external study. Contact the universities you are interested in for more information as requirements may change.
Benefits of Leisure
LeisureLeisure
Leisure, or free time, is time spent away from business, work, and domestic chores. It is also the periods of time before or after necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and, where it is compulsory, education....
has many well documented health related benefits.
Physical Benefits can include:
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Decrease in heart rate
• Increase in bone mass and strength
• Increase in lung capacity
• Reduction in incidence of diabetes
• Increase in muscle strength
• Increase in sense of well being
• Increase in flexibility, balance and coordination
• Improvement in immune system
Emotional Benefits can include:
• Happiness
• Life satisfaction
• Morale
• Self-concept
• Self-esteem
• Perceived sense of freedom
• Independence
• Autonomy
• Self-confidence
• Leadership skills
• Tolerance/Understanding
• Problem solving skills