Review Vacancy
AgencyPeople With Developmental Disabilities, Office for
TitleSenior Recreation Therapist
Occupational CategoryHealth Care, Human/Social Services
Bargaining UnitPS&T - Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PEF)
Salary RangeFrom $63361 to $80655 Annually
Duties Description The person selected for the Senior Recreation Therapist position will be developing, planning, and managing recreational services for assigned caseload.
Duties include:
• Facilitating person-centered activities, coordinating community inclusion opportunities, organizing recreation resources and monthly calendar of events for assigned homes.
• Functions as a team member, attending monthly QLRs, providing monthly recreation summaries including inclusion tracking documentation.
• Ensuring ongoing communication with treatment teams while maintaining consistent contact with the house recreation liaison.
• Building connections with community organizations, including Special Olympics, to accommodate a broad range of backgrounds, abilities, and diagnoses while ensuring individual interests are addressed and appropriate modifications are made.
• Overseeing potential volunteers/ student interns
• Providing clinical guidance to assigned Recreation Therapists in the department. .
• Assisting PT department with NEO wheelchair securement training lab
• Ordering and maintaining recreation supplies and equipment for assigned activities.
• Attending region wide Recreation Department meetings
• Leading regular meetings with area Recreation Therapists
• Leading and providing formal training related to Recreation Therapy functions.
• Effective communication, writing, and organizational skills are essential for this position
9:00am-5:30pm (2 shifts) 11:00am-7:30pm (3 shifts)
Saturday/Sunday pass days
Please note: Some weekends will be required for this position
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Minimum Qualifications Promotion:
One year of service as a Recreation Therapist (including parenthetics) and reachable for appointment on the current Civil Service Eligible List for this title.
Open Competitive:
Either 1. a bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation, creative arts therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, adaptive physical education, art, dance, music, drama, recreation education with a concentration in therapeutic recreation, or recreation and leisure studies with a concentration in therapeutic recreation; AND two years of post-degree professional experience in planning and administering a therapeutic program which involved developing and coordinating therapeutic activities for a geriatric population, or individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, mental illness, physical disabilities, addiction, or substance use disorders;
Or 2. a master's degree in therapeutic recreation, creative arts therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, adaptive physical education, art, dance, music, drama, recreation education with a concentration in therapeutic recreation, or recreation and leisure studies with a concentration in therapeutic recreation; AND one year of post-degree professional experience as described above.
Substitution:
Licensure and current registration as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) in New York State; certification as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC); registration as an Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy Association; registration as a Dance/Movement Therapist with the North American Dance Therapy Association; certification as a Music Therapist by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT); and registration as a Registered Drama Therapist by the North American Drama Therapy Association can substitute for one year of post-degree professional experience.
Transfer:
Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/c status in the posted title and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1, 70.4, or 52.6 of Civil Service Law. The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.
To determine if your current Civil Service title is eligible for transfer to this title, visit the Career Mobility GOT-IT website: https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/index.cfm.
Additional Comments This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). HELPS Program titles may be filled via a non-competitive appointment. This means that you do not need to take an exam to qualify, but you do need to meet the minimum qualifications of the title.
At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), employees hired under NY HELPS are expected to have their permanent non-competitive employment status converted to permanent competitive status. You will not have to take an exam to gain permanent competitive status.
• If you are currently a New York State employee serving in a permanent competitive qualifying title and eligible for a transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law, you may be appointed to this title as a permanent competitive employee.
• The assignment of PS&T employees will be made in accordance with any agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding between PEF and the local DDSO regarding the posting of job vacancies.
• Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.
• All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.
• If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.
• Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).
• If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.
• Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.
• Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.
• Life insurance and Disability insurance.
• The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.
• Paid Holidays and Leave:
° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.
° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave each year (PEF/CSEA), which may carry over from year to year.
° Up to three (3) days professional leave each year to participate in professional development events.
• Health Care Coverage:
Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.
• Paid Parental Leave:
Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.
• Retirement Program:
Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.
• Professional Development and Education and Training:
NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.
• Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.
• OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.
***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.