Kris Johnson is dedicated to serving people in various settings, focusing on positive social change. As a clinical recreational therapist, she developed programs for adolescents with physical disabilities, specializing in spinal cord injuries. Now a faculty member, she employs a range of diverse teaching methods, emphasizing experiential learning to benefit both students and the broader community.

In an exclusive interview with Education Insider, she shared invaluable insights on immersive, interdisciplinary experiences that bridge clinical practice with current trends, particularly addressing the growing need for autism-related services.

1. How has your background in therapeutic recreation shaped your approach to teaching and student engagement at Aurora University?

For the first 16 years of my professional career, I worked as a Recreational Therapist at Shriners Children’s, helping adolescents with physical disabilities develop functional and leisure skills through engaging activities like wheelchair sports, outdoor adventure therapy, and expressive arts. This clinical experience taught me the importance of building meaningful relationships, creating safe and inclusive environments, and collaborating across disciplines to achieve positive client outcomes. I also witnessed firsthand the transformative power of experiential learning. Encouraging young people to step outside their comfort zones and face new challenges was truly life-changing. These core principles still resonate deeply with me and are easily applicable to the world of higher education.

2. What are the key challenges you encounter in developing and implementing effective therapeutic recreation programs and how do you overcome them to ensure positive outcomes for students?

Every therapeutic recreation course at Aurora University incorporates a robust experiential learning component. Students actively design, implement, and evaluate programs for diverse populations, including children at a therapeutic day school, adults with developmental disabilities through special recreation associations, and seniors in memory care units. These real-world experiences bridge theory with practice, enrich learning, and strengthen students’ resumes.

The first hurdle was locating nearby organizations that serve individuals with disabilities and share compatible mission statements, along with an interest in collaboration. Once those partnerships were established, the challenge shifted to managing the many collaborative opportunities, balancing class schedules, student availability, and organizational timelines. Starting early, often several months before the semester begins, remains the key to successful coordination.

3. How are you incorporating emerging trends and research in therapeutic recreation to enhance the learning experience and better prepare students for professional practice in this field?

A significant and growing trend impacting the field of therapeutic recreation is the rising prevalence of autism diagnoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 36 third-grade children are now identified as being on the spectrum. In response to this increase, therapeutic day schools are expanding to meet demand, and Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists (C.T.R.S.) are increasingly being hired as related-service providers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). To prepare for these roles, therapeutic recreation students must develop a strong understanding of autism spectrum disorder and gain experience working within interdisciplinary teams that serve this population, including special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and occupational therapists.

“Therapeutic recreation transforms lives; it empowers students to connect theory with purpose, and turns learning into something profoundly human.”

To help Aurora University students build familiarity with individuals with autism and experience an interdisciplinary team approach, faculty from therapeutic recreation, social work, and special education designed an interdisciplinary team assignment. Students from each discipline collaborated to design and implement a one-hour lesson that focused on the Illinois State Board of Education’s Social-Emotional Learning Standards, delivered to various classrooms at a therapeutic day school. Feedback from both the school and participating university students has been overwhelmingly positive.

4.In a rapidly evolving field like therapeutic recreation, how do you ensure that your teaching and research remain aligned with both current trends and the future needs of the profession?

To help our curriculum remain current, I read content-specific journals, non-fiction books with relevant content, and attend conferences. I also maintain a professional network that includes faculty in related fields at Aurora University, faculty from other universities with therapeutic recreation programs, and professionals, leaders, and clinicians working in the field.

5. What advice would you offer to other educators in therapeutic recreation or related fields looking to improve their teaching strategies and better support student success?

More university students are pursuing careers without fully understanding their daily responsibilities. To address this, faculty should offer in-person experiential learning opportunities with local community organizations, allowing students to work with professionals in the field in mutually beneficial situations. Additionally, guest speakers should be invited to address classes.

In addition to helping students understand their careers more fully, I am also interested in fostering students’ long-term retention of information. The concept of interleaving has shown success in this arena. It involves spacing out learning sessions over time while alternating the practice of various skills. This approach not only creates opportunities for forgetting but also encourages retrieval from long-term memory during review. This dynamic process of forgetting and retrieval enhances the encoding, consolidation, and organization of knowledge. Furthermore, the intervals between learning sessions give the brain time to process, solidify, and structure the material more thoroughly.

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For readers not familiar with the field of Therapeutic Recreation, it is a systematic process that uses recreation and purposeful activitybased interventions to address the needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, promoting psychological and physical health, recovery, and well-being.

Benefits for individuals with disabilities include:

• Enhanced social skills

• Improved self-esteem and confidence

• Enhanced autonomy and independence

• Increased physical activity

• Broader leisure skill repertoire

• Stronger sense of belonging

It is a fulfilling career for people looking to make a difference in the lives of others.