For over 35 years, Therapeutic Recreation: A Practical Approach has provided an authoritative and engaging introduction to the field of therapeutic recreation. The Fifth Edition of Carter and Van Andel's well-regarded text extends this tradition of excellence, equipping a new generation of students with the theoretical foundations and practical methods they need to become successful practitioners.

The authors present the fundamentals of recreational therapy practice from the perspective of a 21st-century health and human service profession: emphasizing evidenced-based practices and documented outcomes, supporting individual and community assets, promoting fiscal responsibility, and utilizing a strengths-based approach that focuses on an individual's capacities when developing a strategy to improve health status, quality of life, and functional abilities.

Updates throughout reflect recent scholarship, revised standards and operational definitions, evidence-based literature to support interventions, and global health concerns. The critical component of documentation has been added to discussions of the APIE-D process, while chapters on neurodevelopmental disorders and behavioral and mental health issues incorporate the terminology and organization of the DSM-5. The latest edition also features expanded treatment of social issues and the adult-onset, chronic, and lifelong illnesses and disabilities associated with aging.

This full-featured edition retains the student-oriented approach that makes it an ideal text for introductory courses. Illustrations, case studies, key terms, study questions, and practical exercises reinforce key concepts and offer opportunities to apply chapter content, while abundant field-based photographs illuminate the practice of recreational therapy.