Christina Mott, CTRS, CUSR Program Manager
We are pleased to announce that CUSR Program Manager Christina Mott has become a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS)! Read what Christina has to say about this impressive achievement and what it will mean for the future of Champaign-Urbana Special Recreation.
1. How would you describe a CTRS to someone who’s never heard of one?
I actually spoke to my daughter’s Girl Scout troop a few weeks ago about what a CTRS is (and to try and recruit the next generation of TR professionals!). I told them that my job is to help people have fun and make sure that people who may need a hand having fun get what they need.
A CTRS uses recreation as a form of therapy to help people improve their health. CTRSs learn how to assess an individual’s abilities, listen to their goals, and determine a recreational activity to help that person achieve their goals and be successful while keeping in mind any limitations that person may have. A CTRS can look at any activity, a game, a sport, an art program or theater group, anything in the realm of recreation and find a way to involve every person in a meaningful way. We are trained to look at all parts of an activity and see how all aspects of it can be broken down into tasks that a person can build on.
2. What does being a CTRS mean to you?
Being a CTRS means so much to me! I believe that Parks and Recreation can bring communities together and in the importance of removing barriers to recreation. There is so much value in being able to use recreational therapy to enrich someone’s life and to bridge gaps in access to a person’s community. Not only being able to promote inclusion but giving others the tools to include their community members is invaluable to me. I think I really fell in love with the concept that EVERYONE should have access to fun, and it motivated me to invest in the field by becoming a CTRS.
3. How will having a CTRS on staff impact CUSR going forward?
Having a CTRS on staff at CUSR is very beneficial to us as an organization. All of the Program Area Coordinators here are very experienced professionals who have the ability to create programs that meet the needs of a diverse group and me being a CTRS gives me the knowledge and skills to steward further growth in this direction and assist in the overall enhancement and expansion of services provided by CUSR.
4. Anything else you’d like to share?
I love what I do here at CUSR and becoming a CTRS was just the cherry on top of what already is my dream job!
