It is so exciting when you get that administrator position and you are in charge of everything! But, it can also be overwhelming, especially when you are building a program from the ground up.
There are so many things that need to get done. From figuring out what assessments to use to what interventions to implement, it can be hard to decide where to start.
But no worries. In this post, I’ll share with you how to prioritize and build your program in just five easy steps using the APIED Process.
Step 1 – Assessment
Out of all the steps I’ll be sharing with you, this is probably the most crucial step of them all because this is going to help you identify the needs and strengths of the population you are working with, your organization, department, and etc.
This step will require some research.
Here are some questions to consider during your assessment process:
- What are the needs of the population?
- What are the strengths of the population?
- What do I want my clients to achieve from participating in the interventions?
- What is the organization’s mission, vision, and philosophy?
- How can the department meet the organization’s mission, vision, and philosophy?
- What assessment would be appropriate for my population?
- What interventions would be most effective with the clients I am working with?
- What is my department budget?
- Would our department be able to apply for Grants?
- What facilities can the department use?
- What community resources are available?
Step 2 – Planning
Once you’ve identified the needs and strengths of your population and have determined what resources are available to you, it’s time to start planning. This is my favorite step besides implementation because this is where your program really starts to take shape.
What TR/RT Model to use?
You will need to determine which model your department will use to help guide how to implement the APIED Process for your department. There are have been many models created over the years which gives us the opportunity to find one that would work great for each of our unique situations.
Pro-Tip: Here is a link to a folder with research articles for each model.
What Theory to use?
Once you have picked a model, now it’s time to determine what theory you want to base your programming on. Theories help us to figure out what specific outcome we want our clients to achieve as well as guide the implementation of our interventions. Theories also can narrow down what assessments we could use for our clients.
Pro-Tip: Click here for resources to different theories.
Create a Specific Program Design
The Specific Program Design (SPD) is going to be the meat and potatoes of the planning process. This document includes what the purpose of your programs are
- what objectives the client will reach when they participate
- how people can participate
- how often are the interventions facilitated
- which population is the interventions for when to evaluate the program
- etc.
Pro-Tip: Here is an example of a Specific Program Design.
Step 3 & 4 – Implementation and Evaluation
Now that you’ve got a plan it is time to put it into action.
I put implementation and evaluation together because when you are facilitating interventions you are also evaluating a clients understanding and what skills they are developing.
You’ll naturally start to evaluate how effective an aspect of the program is and if there is something that could be improved or changed. Here are two evaluation resources for you to use:
Standards of Practice Assessment
A great resource to can be used help evaluate your program while implementing it is using the Standards of Practice and Self-Assessment Guide (SOP/SAG).
According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) website, the assessment was created to assist Recreational Therapist to make sure that their programs were in compliance with the standards of practice as well as help determine where the program could be improved.
This assessment has been determined to be both valid and reliable in helping recreational therapists improve the quality of their programs. This assessment could be used annually or biannually to give you enough time to collect data and implement adjustments if needed.
Assessment Based on Theories
Another way to evaluate the effectiveness of the program is by using assessments (based on your chosen theory) to find if your clients are meeting certain objectives.
For example, one of the interventions I use is archery which I use to help my clients learn and practice mindfulness. To determine if they are meeting the objectives I have created, I use the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R). I administer the assessment before, middle, and after a client participates in the activity in order to control variables as well as be able to see if there was any improvement.
Step 5 Documentation
Once you have completed your program, you can celebrate the good that you are doing and determine how your program can be improved. If you are like me, I forget what my plans are really fast, so make sure you hang it up in your office where you can see and be reminded what your goals are
Pro- Tip: Write down what your plan of action is to increase the quality of your program.
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I hope this post has been helpful in getting you started in creating your own program from the ground up. If you have a question that may not have been answered by what is written please leave your questions in the comments below. For you RT/TR veterans out there, please feel free to share what you have found to help you create an evidence-based program in the comments!
About the Writer
Morgan is originally from Arizona and graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Recreational Therapy. She currently works at a Therapeutic Boarding School that caters to young men on the Autism Spectrum. There Morgan further developed the Fishing program as well as created the Mountain Biking and Archery programs. She is passionate about creating experiences where the students can practice being more flexible, regulate their emotions, and improve social skills in a real-life setting.
Morgan enjoys hiking, mountain biking, archery, spending time with her family, and trying new things. She is a member of the Utah Recreational Therapy Association and the American Therapeutic Recreation Association.
