RECREATION THERAPIST II

Full Job Description

EXAM NUMBER

b5872A

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

We welcome applications from everyone!

We are looking for the best talent to join our team.

APPLICATION FILING PERIOD

Thursday, 3/19/26 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) - Continuous

We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled. The application window may close

unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.

Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits!

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Why work for LA County?

As one of the Top 10 Government Services Employers, as named by Forbes Magazine, the County of Los Angeles provides those committed to a career in public service with boundless opportunities, a platform for professional and personal growth and the ability to truly make a difference in people's lives.

We are devoted experts passionate about maintaining the respect and integrity of the workplace while also safeguarding the rights of every employee.

The County has more than 2,300 different job descriptions, offering a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the country.

Join us and explore a comprehensive range of health care benefits along with strong retirement plans. You will have flexibility to work, unwind, and recharge for your personal and professional growth.

The Opportunity:

We are pursuing qualified candidates to fill Recreation Therapist II positions within the Department of Mental Health.

This position provides a full range of professional recreational therapy services to assist patients with mental or physical disabilities to attain, regain, or maintain physical, social, or mental functioning or to adjust to their disabilities.

About this position:

Positions allocable to this class receive general administrative supervision from higher-level recreation therapy supervisors or a Rehabilitation Therapy Chief, and clinical guidance from a higher-level recreation therapist.

Comprehensive recreation therapy services are provided to patients in a range of settings such as acute medical, psychiatric, or rehabilitation hospitals or out-patient clinics.

Incumbents assigned to clinics or centers in hospitals, or settings remotely located in mental health clinics provide comprehensive consultation and recreation therapy services coordination for patients with severe disabilities.

Requirements

Plans, organizes and directs a recreation therapy program designed to assist in the treatment and rehabilitation of hospital, clinic, or institutionalized patients or clients, or specifically defined patient populations, including conceptualization and demonstration projects.

Supervises and conducts a variety of individual and group therapeutic recreational, social and physical treatment modalities and techniques Including therapeutic intervention, instruction, leadership and counseling techniques which focus on the restoration of physical, mental, and social capabilities.

Selects, administers, analyzes, and interprets a variety of standardized and non-standardized assessment techniques of cognitive and social skills, affective behavior, and sensory motor integration to evaluate patients or clients; provides appropriate interventions requiring ongoing interpretation of assessment/re-assessment data which supports treatment goals and objectives.

Defines recreation therapy goals and objectives and plans, develops and implements the recreation therapy programs through effective and efficient utilization of subordinate staff, recreation facilities and equipment and supplies.

Contributes to the medical and rehabilitative services by participating in case, colleague and systems consultations, and serves on special committees representing recreation therapy in various hospitals, institutions, departmental, or community settings.

Conducts and/or coordinates social/leisure discharge planning and community adjustment programs, and referral and patient-family education services to assist the patient or client in reintegrating into the community and utilizing community resources.

Develops and maintains liaison with community agencies and recreation facilities to encourage their participation in recreation therapy and coordinate after care follow-up programs.

Evaluates the quality and effectiveness of existing recreation therapy programs and services and revises or modifies the program in keeping with the changing needs of the patient and the inter-disciplinary team objectives.

Documents treatment services in accordance with departmental, local, state, federal, and JCAHO regulations and regulatory standards.

Delegates responsibilities and assigns treatment procedures to subordinate recreation therapy personnel and students, reviews their work and may prepare their performance evaluations.

Orients new staff and members of inter-disciplinary team to therapeutic recreation procedures and the role of recreation therapy and provides on-going informal and formal in-service training to recreation therapy staff.

Provides technical guidance to subordinate staff and students by instructing and training them in therapeutic methods and by recommending treatment modalities and intervention when appropriate.

Evaluates current and future need for facilities, supplies and equipment, prepares and submits budget requests and follows through with ordering supplies and equipment.

Attends and participates in professional conferences, seminars and workshops.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited* college or university with specialization in Recreation Therapy or Therapeutic Recreation --AND-- Two years of experience in the practice of Recreation Therapy at the level of Recreation Therapist I.

A Master’s degree in Recreation Therapy or Recreation with a specialization in Therapeutic Recreation may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

No out-of-class experience will be accepted. No withhold will be allowed for this examination. Required experience and education must be fully met at the time of filing and clearly indicated on the application.

LICENSE:

**A copy of a valid and unrestricted certification to practice as a Recreation Therapist issued by the California Board of Parks and Recreation Certification -or- a valid and unrestricted certification to practice as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist issued by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification.

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions. A valid California Class B Driver License may be required for appointment to some positions in this class.

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class III – Moderate: This class requires that the incumbent stand or walk most of the time with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, occasional lifting of objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION:
Additional credit will be given for certifications related to the desirable qualifications below.

• Experience providing 1:1 therapy session in a variety of settings.
• Experience providing group therapy sessions in a variety of settings.
• Experience working with chronic mentally ill clients.
• Experience working with clients with co-occurring disorders.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
If you are a veteran, you may be eligible for veteran's credit, which is an additional 10% of the total points added to a passing score. We will need a copy of your form DD214 to review, so please include that with your application or email to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov.

*To receive credit for your education, include a legible copy of your official diploma, official transcript, or letter/certificate from an accredited institution within seven (7) calendar days from the application submission date. The document should show the date the degree was conferred and be in English; if it is in a foreign language, it must be translated and could require evaluation for equivalency to U.S. standards if not listed in the International Handbook of Universities or World Higher Education Database. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf (Download PDF reader). Please submit documentation to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov and indicate your full name, the exam name, and the exam number.

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov.

Note: At the level of is defined as you may still qualify even if your job title is not exactly the same as the ones listed.

What matters is that your experience is at a similar level — meaning your job involves similar responsibilities, requires comparable skills and knowledge, and takes place within a similar organizational structure.

Please provide a clear explanation of your experience to demonstrate that it is at the appropriate level.

Experience is evaluated based on a verifiable 40-hour workweek. Work performed part-time will be prorated a a month-to-month basis.

Past and present mental health clients and their family members who meet the requirements to qualify are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

AVAILABLE SHIFT:

Any - Appointees may be willing to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

This examination will consist of an evaluation of experience and desirable qualification based on information listed on the online application and supplemental questionnaire at the time of filing, weighted 100%, assessing: Professional/Technical Knowledge in Recreation Therapy Program, Customer Service, Management Potential, Supervision.

Additional credit will be given for experience related to the desirable qualifications.

Applicants must meet the requirements and achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the assessment to be placed on the eligible register.

ELIGIBILITY AND VACANCY INFORMATION:

Applications will be processed on “an as received” basis and those receiving a passing score will be added to the eligible register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months.

This register will be used to fill the vacancies within the Department of Mental Health as they occur.

NO PERSON MAY COMPLETE FOR THIS EXAMINIATION MORE THAN ONCE IN A TWELVE MONTH PERIOD.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting.

This website can also be used to get application status updates. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

Please fill out the application completely. Provide relevant job experience including employer's name and address, job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed.

We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made.

Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment.

Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements.

Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification.

Applicants must upload clear, legible copies of the license needed for the position as attachments during submission.

Alternatively, submit documentation within seven (7) calendar days from application submission to Exams@dmh.lacounty.gov and indicate your full name, the exam name, and the exam number.

CORRESPONDENCE AND UPDATES WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL

For the time being, all notifications, including results letters and notices of nonacceptance, will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application.

It is important that you provide a valid email address.

Please add exams@dmh.lacounty.gov, isan@dmh.lacounty.gov, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You may be required to verify your email address.

This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts.

This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES

For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD

All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT

HR Examinations Unit: (213) 972-7034

HR Examinations Unit Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov

Analyst Contact Phone: Irene San, 323-705-4074

Analyst Contact Email: isan@dmh.lacounty.gov

ADA Coordinator Phone 323-705-4074
Teletype Phone 800-735-2922
California Relay Services Phone 800-735-2922