DIR - RECREATION/ACTIVITY THER

Mountain Youth Academy; Mountain City (TN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401K match

Stock purchase plan

Attendance incentives

Shift differential pay

Tuition reimbursement

Free meals

Job summary

Universal Hospital Services Inc. is seeking a Director of Patient Activities for Mountain Youth Academy in Mountain City, Tennessee. The role focuses on developing engaging, therapeutic activity programs that build life skills, confidence, and teamwork within a behavioral health setting.

Work closely with a treatment team to align activities with each patient’s goals, while maintaining a safe, structured environment and delivering high-quality educational programming for youth in care.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience designing, implementing, and providing activity and/or recreation therapy.
• Experience with a variety of mental health disorders.
• Ability to develop and deliver educational lectures and programming.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
• Ability to maintain required licenses and certifications.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee a comprehensive patient activity program.
• Create weekly activity schedules that are engaging, purposeful, and therapeutic.
• Assess patient life skills and help develop appropriate goals and interventions.
• Participate in treatment-team meetings and selected therapeutic groups.
• Use motivational techniques to encourage participation and teamwork.
• Help create a positive, safe, structured, and welcoming environment.
• Support patients during activities while recognizing individual developmental, cognitive, and emotional needs.
• Provide crisis intervention and utilize appropriate de-escalation techniques when necessary.
• Coordinate activity supplies, inventory, and ordering.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation.
• Collaborate with clinical, nursing, educational, medical, and other professional staff.

Skills

Strong communication

Interdisciplinary teamwork

License maintenance

Education

Master's degree

CTRS Certification

Job description

Responsibilities

Mountain Youth Academy is nestled in Mountain City, Tennessee which is conveniently located near Johnson City, TN, Boone, NC, and Abingdon, VA. We are a 120-bed residential treatment facility and assist in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of behavioral health issues for our young adolescent patients.

Are you a creative, energetic, and compassionate professional who believes meaningful activities can make a real difference in a person's healing journey?

We're looking for a Director of Patient Activities to bring energy, creativity, and purpose to our behavioral health environment. This is more than planning activities—it’s an opportunity to create experiences that build confidence, encourage connection, develop life skills, and inspire positive changes.

If you love turning ideas into engaging experiences and enjoy helping others discover what they're capable of, this could be the perfect opportunity for you!

As Director of Patient Activities, you'll work closely with our interdisciplinary treatment team to ensure activities support each patient's individual goals.

Job Duties/Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee a comprehensive patient activity program.
• Create weekly activity schedules that are engaging, purposeful, and therapeutic.
• Assess patient life skills and help develop appropriate goals and interventions.
• Participate in treatment-team meetings and selected therapeutic groups.
• Use motivational techniques to encourage participation and teamwork.
• Help create a positive, safe, structured, and welcoming environment.
• Support patients during activities while recognizing individual developmental, cognitive, and emotional needs.
• Provide crisis intervention and utilize appropriate de-escalation techniques when necessary.
• Coordinate activity supplies, inventory, and ordering.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation.
• Collaborate with clinical, nursing, educational, medical, and other professional staff.

Benefit & Rewards Highlights

• Paid Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K match, Stock Purchase
• Attendance Incentives, up to $80 per week
• Challenging and rewarding work environment
• Competitive Compensation & Generous Paid Time Off
• Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans
• 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan
• SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program
• Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300+ Subsidiaries!
• Free Meals
• Attendance Incentives
• Shift Differential Pay
• Tuition Reimbursement

For a full preview of benefits, please visit UHS Benefits Service Center (ehr.com)

About Universal Health Services

Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) is one of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services. Since our founding in 1979, UHS has grown steadily into a premier Fortune 500® corporation perennially recognized by multiple esteemed national rating entities. Through its subsidiaries, UHS operates inpatient acute care facilities, inpatient behavioral health facilities, outpatient and other facilities, nationwide virtual behavioral health services, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services with physical locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Ireland and United Kingdom. www.uhs.com.

From Fortune, ©2025, 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Qualifications

Job Requirements/Special Skills

Required:

• Master's degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience designing, implementing, and providing activity and/or recreation therapy.
• Experience working with a variety of mental health disorders.
• Ability to develop and deliver educational lectures and programming.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
• Ability to maintain required licenses and certifications.

Preferred:

• 8-10 years of related experience
• CTRS Certification

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Pay Transparency

To encourage pay transparency, promote pay equity, and proactively address regulations, UHS and all our subsidiaries will comply with all applicable state or local laws or regulations which require employers to provide wage or salary range information to job applicants and employees. Salary offers may be based on key factors such as education and related experience.