A Sampler of Strengths-Based Implementation and Facilitation Strategies

in Recreation Therapy/Therapeutic Recreation

2017 CTRA Webinar

May 1, 2017

Lynn Anderson, Ph.D., CTRS, CPRP Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies Department

SUNY Cortland P.O. Box 2000

Cortland, NY 13045-0900 lynn.anderson@cortland.edu

(607) 753-4942

Linda Heyne, Ph.D., CTRS Recreation and Leisure Studies Department

Ithaca College 953 Danby Road, Smiddy Hall 313

Ithaca, NY 14850 lheyne@ithaca.edu

(607) 274-3050

64 • TherapeuTic recreaTion pracTice: a STrengThS approach

Figure 4.3 Flourishing through Leisure Model: A

n Ecological Extension of the Leisure and Well-B

eing Model

Facilitation of leisure skills and knowledge:

• Savoring leisure* • Interests, preferences

• Authentic leisure*

• Talents, abilities• Leisure gratifications* • Skills and com

petencies• M

indful leisure* • Leisure know

ledge• V

irtuous leisure* • A

spirations

Facilitation of leisure environments:

• Real choices for leisure• Typical lifestyle rhythm

s• Social support• Inclusive environm

ents - Physical accessibility - A

dministrative inclusivity

- Programm

ing inclusivity

PER

SON

in the ENV

IRO

NM

ENT

What the Therapeutic R

ecreation Specialist Does

Outcom

es the Participant Experiences

Enhancing the Leisure Experience

Developing Strengths and R

esources

Facilitation of psychological and emotional

strengths:• Capacity for happiness*• Em

otion regulation*• Self-aw

areness/self-acceptance/self-congruence*• A

utonomy/self-determ

ination/goal directedness*• Com

petence*• O

ptimism

*

Facilitation of psychological and em

otional resources:• Positive behavioral supports• N

atural cues• Q

uiet spaces in public areas• H

igh expectations and positive attitudes• O

ther supports and accomm

odations

Play

Recreate

PerceiveFeel

Facilitation of cognitive strengths:• A

bility to attend*• Concentration*• Follow

ing directions*• M

emory*

• Problem solving

• Goal setting*, aspiration discovery

Facilitation of cognitive resources:• Environm

ental cues• Environm

ent modifications

• Quiet spaces in public areas

• Activity adaptations

• Other supports and accom

modations

ThinkLearn

Facilitation of social strengths:• Com

munication skills*

• Interpersonal skills*• Reciprocal-relationship skills*, friendship skills• Leadership and citizenship skills• Social confidence*

Facilitation of social resources:• Inclusivity and diversity• O

pportunities to engage in meaningful

social roles• Trained staff• Peer support developm

ent• O

ther supports and accomm

odations

Relate

Belong

Facilitation of physical strengths:• Physical health*• M

obility*• Fitness—

endurance, strength, flexibility*• Energy and vitality• Physical activity skills

Facilitation of physical resources:• Safe environm

ents• U

niversal design• A

dapted equipment

• Affordability, equitable resource distribution

• Hom

e recreation resource development

• Comm

unity recreation resource developm

ent

Act

Do

Facilitation of spiritual strengths:• H

ope and inspiration• Sense of m

eaning and purpose• Peace of m

ind• Reflection and w

isdom• Self-actualization• Sense of connectedness/feeling a part of

something bigger

• Other character strengths and virtues

Facilitation of spiritual resources:• Culture of hope, support, and

encouragement

• Proximity to nature

• Quiet places in public areas

• Places of spiritual nourishment

• Beauty and aesthetics in the environment

Believe

Value

Participant’s goals, dream

s, and aspirations

Well-B

eing

Environmental resources and

personal strengths that cultivate grow

th, adaptation, and inclusion

LEISURE

WELL-BEIN

G

I find enjoyment in m

y leisure experiences and they positively

impact other aspects

of my life

COG

NITIVE

WELL-BEIN

G

I think in a focused w

ay and learn eagerly

PHYSICA

LW

ELL-BEING

I do and act in my

daily life with vitality

and no barriers

SPIRITUA

LW

ELL-BEING

I live my life hopefully,

in harmony w

ith my

values and beliefs

SOCIA

LW

ELL-BEING

I relate well to others

and belong to valued social groups

PSYCHO

LOG

ICAL &

EM

OTIO

NA

LW

ELL-BEING

I feel happy and perceive I am

in control of m

y life

I experience a state of successful,

satisfying, and productive

engagement w

ith m

y life*

A Flourishing Life

* From the Leisure and W

ell-Being M

odel (Carruthers & H

ood, 2007; Hood &

Carruthers, 2007)

from Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2012)

Values in Action (VIA) Strengths Assessment (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Seligman, 2002)

Very Much

Like Me Like Me Neutral Unlike Me Very Much

Unlike Me

Cluster 1: 1a. “I am always curious about the world” is: 5 4 3 2 1 1b. “I am easily bored” is: 1 2 3 4 5 2a. “I am thrilled when I learn something” new is: 5 4 3 2 1 2b. “I never go out of my way to visit museums or other educational

sites” is: 1 2 3 4 5

3a. “When the topic calls for it, I can be a highly rational thinker” is: 5 4 3 2 1 3b. “I tend to make snap judgments” is: 1 2 3 4 5 4a. “I like to think of new ways to do things” is: 5 4 3 2 1 4b. “Most of my friends are more imaginative than I am is: 1 2 3 4 5 5a. “I am always able to look at things and see the big picture” is: 5 4 3 2 1 5b. “Others rarely come to me for advice” is: 1 2 3 4 5 Cluster 2: 6a. “I have taken frequent stands in the face of strong opposition” is: 5 4 3 2 1 6b. “Pain and disappointment often get the better of me” is: 1 2 3 4 5 7a. “I always finish what I start” is: 5 4 3 2 1 7b. “I get sidetracked when I work” is: 1 2 3 4 5 8a. “I always keep my promises” is: 5 4 3 2 1 8b. “My friends never tell me I’m down to earth” is: 1 2 3 4 5 9a. “I throw myself into everything I do” is: 5 4 3 2 1 9b. “I mope a lot” is: 1 2 3 4 5 Cluster 3: 10a. “I have voluntarily helped a neighbor in the last month” is: 5 4 3 2 1 10b. “I am rarely excited about the good fortune of others as I am about

my own” is: 1 2 3 4 5

11a. “There are people in my life who care as much about my feelings and well-being as they do about their own” is:

5 4 3 2 1

11b. “I have trouble accepting love from others” is: 1 2 3 4 5 12a. “No matter what the social situation, I am able to fit in” is: 5 4 3 2 1 12b. “I am not very good at sensing what other people are feeling” is: 1 2 3 4 5 Cluster 4: 13a. “I work at my best when I am in a group” is: 5 4 3 2 1 13b. “I hesitate to sacrifice my self-interest for the benefit of the group”

is: 1 2 3 4 5

14a. “I treat all people equally regardless of who they might be” is: 5 4 3 2 1 14b. “If I do not like someone, it is difficult for me to treat him or her

fairly” is: 1 2 3 4 5

15a. “I can always get people to do things together without nagging them” is:

5 4 3 2 1

15b. “I am not very good at planning group activities” is: 1 2 3 4 5 Cluster 5: 16a. “I control my emotions” is: 5 4 3 2 1 16b. “I can rarely stay on a diet” is: 1 2 3 4 5 17a. “I avoid activities that are physically dangerous” is: 5 4 3 2 1 17b. “I sometimes make poor choices in friendships or relationships” is: 1 2 3 4 5 18a. “I change the subject when people pay me compliments” is: 5 4 3 2 1 18b. “I often talk about my accomplishments” is: 1 2 3 4 5 19a. “I always let bygones be bygones” is: 5 4 3 2 1 19b. “I always try to get even” is: 1 2 3 4 5

Very Much

Like Me Like Me Neutral Unlike Me Very Much

Unlike Me

Cluster 6: 20a. “In the last month, I have been thrilled by excellence in music, art,

drama, film, sport, science, or mathematics” is 5 4 3 2 1

20b. “I have not created anything of beauty in the last year” is: 1 2 3 4 5 21a. “I always say thank you, even for little things” is: 5 4 3 2 1 21b. “I rarely stop and count my blessings” is: 1 2 3 4 5 22a. “I always look on the bright side” is: 5 4 3 2 1 22b. “I rarely have a well-thought-out plan for what I want to do” is: 1 2 3 4 5 23a. “My life has a strong purpose” is: 5 4 3 2 1 23b. “I do not have a calling in life” is: 1 2 3 4 5 24a. “I always mix work and play as much as possible” is: 5 4 3 2 1 24b. “I rarely say funny things” is: 1 2 3 4 5 Scoring Your Strengths: Enter your score from the items above in each blank below; add the scores for each strength and each virtue in the “Totals” columns. Note that the Virtues score is an average of all of the strengths items in that box.

Virtue 1: WISDOM Total

Curiosity 1a. + 1b.

Love of learning 2a. + 2b.

Judgment/open-mindedness 3a. + 3b.

Ingenuity/creativity 4a. + 4b.

Perspective 5a. + 5b.

Wisdom Subtotal (divide by 5 for average)

Virtue 2: COURAGE Total

Valor 6a. + 6b.

Perseverance 7a. + 7b.

Integrity 8a. + 8b.

Zest/vitality 9a. + 9b.

Courage Subtotal (divide by 4 for average)

Virtue 3: HUMANITY Total

Kindness 10a. + 10b.

Loving 11a. + 11b.

Social intelligence 12a. + 12b.

Humanity Subtotal (divide by 3 for average)

Virtue 4: JUSTICE Total

Citizenship 13a. + 13b.

Fairness 14a. + 14b.

Leadership 15a. + 15b.

Justice Subtotal (divide by 3 for average)

Virtue 5: TEMPERANCE Total

Self-control 16a. + 16b.

Prudence 17a. + 17b.

Humility 18a. + 18b.

Forgiveness 19a. + 19b.

Temperance Subtotal (divide by 4 for average)

Virtue 6: TRANSCENDENCE Total

Appreciation of beauty 20a. + 20b.

Gratitude 21a. + 21b.

Hope 22a. + 22b.

Spirituality 23a. + 23b.

Humor 24a. + 24b.

Transcendence Subtotal (divide by 5 for average)

Circle your top 5 strengths. Circle your top 2 virtues. What is your “signature strength?”

Savoring Scavenger Hunt

Ways of savoring:

Thanksgiving - gratitude for blessings and gifts which are attributed to an external source

Marveling - awe in the presence of an external force. It is the absorption of attention on the grandeur of an experience or construct which exists outside of the self

Basking - enjoying one’s accomplishments; a sense of achievement and also the anticipation and reminiscence of that achievement

Luxuriating - savoring of physical pleasures

Savoring #3 - Marveling

Savoring #1 - Luxuriating

Savoring #2 - Basking

1

5

Table 2. Definitions of Ten Frequently Experienced Positive Emotions Positive Emotion What Tends to Trigger

the Emotion

Thought-Action Tendency Triggered

Resources Accrued

Joy Safe, familiar, unexpectedly

good Play, get involved, free activation

Skills gained via experiential learning

Gratitude

Receive a benefit or gift

Creative urge to be prosocial

Skills for showing care, loyalty, social bonds

Serenity or contentment

Safe, familiar, low effort

Savor, integrate

New priorities, new views of self

Interest

Safe, novel

Explore, learn

Knowledge

Hope

Fearing the worst, yearning for better

Plan for a better future

Resilience, optimism

Pride

Socially valued achievement

Dream big

Achievement motivation

Amusement

Non-serious social incongruity

Share, be jovial, laugh

Social bonds

Inspiration

Witness human excellence

Strive toward own higher ground

Motivation for personal growth

Awe

Encounter beauty or goodness on a grand scale

Absorb, accommodate

New worldviews

Love

Any/all of the above in an interpersonal connection

Any/all of the above with mutual care

Any/all of the above, especially social bonds

Adapted from Fredrickson (2013b)

From Anderson & Heyne (in press, Therapeutic Recreation Journal)

Strengths-Based Therapeutic Recreation Resources List Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2012). Therapeutic recreation practice: A strengths approach. State College, PA: Venture Publishing, Inc. Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2012). Flourishing through Leisure: An Ecological Extension to the Leisure and Well-Being Model in therapeutic

recreation strengths-based practice. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 46(2), 129-152. Anderson, L., & Heyne, L. (2013). A strengths approach to assessment in therapeutic recreation: Tools for positive change. Therapeutic

Recreation Journal, 46(2), 89-108. Bryant, F., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Carruthers, C., & Hood C. (2004). The power of the positive: Leisure and well-being. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 38(2), 225-245. Carruthers, C. & Hood, C. (2007). Building a life of meaning through therapeutic recreation: The Leisure and Well-Being Model, part I.

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 41(4), 276-297. Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2011). Mindfulness and well-being: Implications for TR practice. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 45(3), 171-189. Deegan, P. (1988). Recovery: The lived experience of rehabilitation. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 11(4), 11-19. Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American

Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. Fredrickson, B. L. (2009). Positivity: Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome

negativity, and thrive. New York: Crown Publishers. Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Love 2.0: How our supreme emotion affects everything we feel, think, do and become. New York: Hudson Street Press. Heyne, L., & Anderson, L. (2012). Theories that support strengths-based practice in therapeutic recreation. Therapeutic Recreation Journal,

46(2), 106-128. Hood, C., & Carruthers, C. (2007). Enhancing leisure experience and developing resources: The Leisure and Well-Being Model, part II.

Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 41(4), 298-325. Lopez, S., & Snyder, C. (2003). Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures. Washington, D.C.: American

Psychological Association. Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. New York: The Penguin Press. Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). The myths of happiness: What should make you happy, but doesn’t, what shouldn’t make you happy, but does. New York:

Penguin Press. Nussbaum, M. (2007). Frontiers of justice: Disability, nationality, species membership. Boston: Harvard University Press. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association. Rapp, C., & Goscha, R. (2006). The strengths model: Case management with people with psychiatric disabilities. New York: Oxford University

Press. Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. New York: Little, Brown and Company. Saleebey, D. (2006). The strengths perspective in social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Search Institute. (2013). What kids need: Building blocks for children and youth. Minneapolis, MN: Author. Retrieved from http://www.search-

institute.org/developmental-assets Selhub, E., & Logan, A. (2012). Your brain on nature: The science of nature’s influence on your health, happiness and vitality. Mississauga,

Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. Seligman, M. (1998). Why therapy works. APA Monitor, 29(12), 1-2. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor Seligman, M. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: The

Free Press. Seligman, M. (2003). Foreword: The past and future of positive psychology. In C. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and

the life well-lived (pp. xi-xx). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Seligman, M. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York: Simon and Schuster. Utesch, W. (n.d.). From a glass half empty to a glass half full: A review of the transition from deficit to strength-based approaches. Fort Wayne, IN:

Foellinger Foundation. Witman, J., Jacob, S., Anderson, L., Heyne, L., & Malcarne, B. (2014). The Well-Being Index: A pilot project. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 48(2),

188-198. World Health Organization. (2004). Joint position paper – Community-based rehabilitation: A strategy for rehabilitation, equalization of

opportunities, poverty reduction, and social inclusion of people with disabilities. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

Internet Resources: Authentic Happiness, University of Pennsylvania: www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, University of Massachusetts Medical School: umassmed.edu/cfm/ Gratitude Revealed: http://gratituderevealed.com/ Greater Good Science Center: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: https://nccih.nih.gov/ Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory: http://www.unc.edu/peplab/home.html Positive Psychology Center: http://www.positivepsychology.org/

Video Resources: Aimee Mullins, My 12 Pair of Legs: http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_prosthetic_aesthetics Aimee Mullins, The Opportunity of Adversity: http://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_opportunity_of_adversity Bene Brown, The Power of Vulnerability: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability Flame, the Band: http://www.flametheband.com/ Hilary Lister, Dream Trust: http://www.hilarylister.com/A96C9/Home.aspx