RECREATION THERAPIST 2 - 10062026-81533

State of Tennessee; Chattanooga (TN); On-site; USD 44,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Tennessee invites applications for a Recreation Therapist position at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga. Under general supervision, you will plan and execute recreational therapies, assess client needs, and coordinate with an inter-disciplinary team to meet client goals.

The role emphasizes behavior education, progress evaluation, and staff training within a state agency environment. Background checks are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services or related field required.
• Experience equivalent to one year of full-time recreation therapy or related professional experience.
• Graduate coursework substitution for experience may be substituted year-for-year, up to four years.

Responsibilities

• Identifies needs, goals and objectives for individuals in recreational therapy using assessments and team findings to ensure appropriate services.
• Develops therapeutic treatment plans to meet client outcomes.
• Implements behavior education systems to foster independent living skills and behavior change.
• Implements recreational activities following policy to aid in achieving outcomes.
• Evaluates client progress and communicates with other therapists and teams about program effectiveness.
• Assists in training direct care staff and provides a teaching setting for interns.
• Records progress and reactions of individuals in activities and completes assessments within timelines.

Skills

Recreation therapy

Assessment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Behavior education

Client progress evaluation

Education

Bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services / related field

Tools

Computers

Copier/Fax Machine

Audio/Visual Equipment

Wheelchair Lift

Restraints

Job description

State of Tennessee Job Information

Opening Date/Time 10/06/2026 12:00AM Central Time

Job Information

State of Tennessee Job Information

Opening Date/Time 10/06/2026 12:00AM Central Time

Closing Date/Time 10/12/2026 11:59PM Central Time

Salary (Monthly) $3,667.00 - $5,488.00

Salary (Annually) $44,004.00 - $65,856.00

Job Type Full-Time

City, State Location Chattanooga, TN

Department Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

LOCATION OF (1) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH & SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES, HAMILTON COUNTY

This position is located at Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute.

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation services, recreation, psychology, sociology, recreation therapy, education, allied health, or mental health/human services and experience equivalent to one year of full-time experience in recreation therapy or responsible professional experience in therapy, education or recreation work.

Substitution of Education for Experience: Additional graduate coursework from an accredited college or university in rehabilitation services, recreation, recreation therapy or education may be substituted for the required experience on a year for year basis.

Substitution of Experience for Education: Qualifying full-time experience in recreation, teaching, or in providing aid or assistance to disabled individuals may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of four years.

Necessary Special Qualifications: None.

Overview

Under general supervision, is responsible for professional recreation therapy duties of average difficulty; performs related work as required. An employee in this class plans and executes recreational activities, therapies, and programs. This class differs from Recreation Therapist 1 in that an incumbent of the latter performs work of a less complex nature. This class differs from Recreation Therapist 3 in that an incumbent of the latter supervises or assists a supervisor in planning a therapeutic program and may supervise a staff of recreation therapy personnel.

Responsibilities

• Identifies the needs, goals and objectives for individuals in recreational therapy utilizing individual assessments, observations, referrals, and inter-disciplinary team findings to ensure appropriate services are provided. Develops therapeutic treatment plans to ensure client outcomes are met.
• Implements behavior education systems with clients to ensure successful independent living skills by creating behavior change plans, providing individual behavior change interventions, and intervening as needed when behaviors violate the standards of conduct.
• Implements various recreational activities while following departmental and facility policy such as social interactions, anger management, healthy lifestyles, and other activities to assist in meeting desired outcomes.
• Assures departmental and facility policy is followed during implementation of recreational therapies to comply with state and federal law and accrediting bodies. Follows facility emergency response plans to ensure safety of clients and staff.
• Evaluates and assesses client progress to determine effectiveness of recreational therapies and assist in meeting client goals. Provides input and information to other therapists and inter-disciplinary teams regarding the effectiveness recreational therapy programs.
• Assists in training direct care staff and work with personnel to assist in carrying out therapeutic programs. Provides a teaching setting for interns to provide them with skills they will need for future employment.
• Records the progress and reactions of individuals engaged in recreational therapeutic activities to evaluate their advancement toward meeting desired outcomes. Completes recreational assessments within desired time-frames.

Competencies (KSA's)

Competencies

• Cultivates Innovation
• Resourcefulness
• Communicates Effectively
• Interpersonal Savvy
• Customer Focus

Knowledges

• Therapy and Counseling
• Psychology
• Public Safety and Security
• Administration and Management
• Customer and Personal Service

Skills

• Active Learning and Listening
• Monitoring
• Instructing
• Service Orientation
• Social Perceptiveness

Abilities

• Prolonged Stamina
• Limb and/or Full Body Coordination
• Multilimb Strength
• Speech Clarity & Recognition
• Sound Localization

Tools & Equipment

• Computers
• Copier/Fax Machine
• Audio/Visual Equipment
• Wheelchair Lift
• Restraints

TN Driver Standards

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, the candidate's driver record must not have record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application.

• Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.