Should recreation therapist become licensed professionals?Recreation therapists in  North Carolina, New Hampshire and Utah are now licensed. New York State and other states are pursuing licensure.  In New York State we decided to pursue licensure because some regualtory agencies will only permit licensed professionals to facilitate core/essential groups. This mandate limits the scope of practice for recreation therapists in New York. We also beginning to notice that restrictions on what recreation therapists can do are spreading to other settings such as hospitals and day treatment centers.  I really feel that becoming licensed as a professional will only strengthen the integrity of the profession and what we do in our RT practice.

What do you think about licensure?