“You go into this group and ask them what they can do on a Saturday when they’re bored and they couldn’t do it. A lot of times they get into drugs because they’re bored.”
What do you think of when you think of the word therapy? Therapist? Most of us think of traditional psychotherapy, talking through your life and problems with someone. Using your head to fix your head. However, many people and cultures throughout history have placed an equal, if not greater, focus on the body as a means to mental health. Surrounding yourself with nature, exercising, playing, these are all things that can have a massive impact on your mental state. In fact, it’s so important that an entire school of therapy is devoted to it. Today’s guest, Andrew Hermansen, will teach us all about it.
“I had a kid write me after he went home say, you had such an influence on me that I lost 30 pounds and now I’m on my high school basketball team and I attribute a lot of that to you helping me out.”
“I like to do the patient assessment before I read their chart because some of these crimes are pretty scary and it’s nice to not have those things running through your head when you’re trying to get to know them.”
Interview Contents
2:15 - What is recreational therapy?
5:00 - Various jobs a recreational therapist can have.
7:00 - Goals of recreational therapy.
10:45 - What Andrew is trying to observe in patients.
13:00 - Working at a Forensic Mental Illness Hospital.
15:00 - Andrews goals when working with patients.
19:00 - Working with dangerous patients.
21:00 - How do people end up at the Forensic Hospital as opposed to going to prison.
27:00 - Working with the treatment team at the hospital.
28:30 - Group vs 1 on 1 recreational therapy.
34:00 - Do the patients act differently because they know they are being analyzed?
38:30 - Leisure education.
43:15 - The training to be a recreational therapist.
45:00 - What makes a good day?
46:30 - Favorite day on the job.
49:30 - Pay
50:15 - Advice
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Kevin Cole
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
