My Story

The half Story

Recreation Therapy is not just my life story. It is everything I am, has become, know, and love. 
In 2015 I started at a community college and was accepted into the physical therapy assistant program. However, one month into the program, I realized I was not too fond of the demanding ways of forcing patients to do something they did not want to do. I sat in school exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused. I was trying to decide if I was making the right choice by staying in the physical therapy field, which I am not passionate about. I felt like I was too old to change my mind, and having to start over was out of the question. I also felt as if I was not smart enough.

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I stayed up all night studying for a physiology test. The next day I felt so prepared. I received my test back, and "uh oh," I failed. Finally, like all college students, I had a mental breakdown. I started seeing a therapist who informed me that it did not matter how old I was and if I felt like I was not smart enough, but that I had to change my mindset and work for what I wanted. During a group therapy session, I was introduced to a rec therapist. We talk for hours about recreation and leisure. She invited me to volunteer at an Adult Daycare to understand the field more. That was when I knew becoming a rec therapist was what I wanted for myself. 

2018 I started at the University of South Alabama, majoring in Leisure Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation. 2020 during the pandemic, I studied to become a CTRS. On September 24, 2020, I passed the NCTRC exam. Rec therapy allowed me to break out of my shell and become the Adrienne I am today.