Recreational Specialist

Are you looking to find personal and professional fulfillment, and align your career with your values?

At Gateway Foundation, our employees have an opportunity to make a difference every day by helping people with substance abuse issues gain control of their lives.

Gateway Foundation is a recognized non-profit leader in evidence-based treatment proven to get results. Our experts in Addiction Medicine—including highly educated clinical and medical professionals and expert psychiatrists and nurses—deliver care that never stops. Throughout Gateway’s proud history of helping others, dedicated and professional employees have been vital to accomplishing our life-saving mission. Read more about the incredible recognition that we received!

If you are a collaborative professional who shares our commitment to helping people with substance abuse and mental health issues turn their lives around – Gateway Is The Place For You.

Recreational Specialist will be responsible for:

• Assesses client recreation needs and develops, plans, and schedules formalized recreation curriculum and activities for clients.
• Determines materials and supplies needed for recreation activities to ensure timely ordering and purchasing.
• Supervises clients and staff assigned to assist with activity to ensure well-being and safety of clients.
• Documents activities on a daily basis, including individual client participation and responses to activities.
• Working with supervisor, establishes and publishes a monthly calendar of activities or events, ensuring that activities are within prescribed budget and effectively utilize staff resources. Communicates any updates or changes to activity calendar to supervisor, staff and clients
• Establishes working relationships with external resources and volunteer organizations for recreational activities. Identifies recreational activities available to clients and communicates same to clients and staff.
• Determines materials and supplies needed for recreation activities, and ensures timely ordering or purchase of same. Obtains appropriate supervisor approval for purchases.

Requirements:

• Associates degree in a helping profession, bachelor’s degree preferred
• Three (3) years progressively more responsible, related experience preferred
• Strong knowledge of recreation therapy practices, techniques and activities
• Basic knowledge of the physical, cognitive and psychosocial functioning level of the client population; and the demonstrated ability to appropriately interact, tailor interventions, including de-escalation techniques, and communicate with the client based on the individual client maturation level
• Strong communication skills necessary to communicate with diverse client population, staff, and outside agencies to organize and carry-out recreation activities; and to acquire monetary or other support for recreational activities
• Analytical abilities necessary to evaluate recreation program components and client recreation therapy needs and interests in order to provide useful and effective recreation therapy activities and events, and to identify new areas of need; and to establish recreation therapy goals for individual clients

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to read, write, and understand and follow written instructions
• Ability to use a keyboard and video display terminal to receive, retrieve, and/or audit information and data
• Ability to record, proofread and check documents and files for accuracy
• Ability to respond to telephones, and to hear and detect alarms and unusual noises
• Ability to walk and move about the facilities for up to two hours at a time, to monitor and interact with clients

Competitive Compensation and Benefits:

Gateway Foundation values its employees and provides an inclusive and diverse work environment where dedicated employees can make a difference. We are committed to engaging and rewarding our employees in meaningful ways. For eligible employees, we provide a Total Rewards Package that includes:

• Health Insurance - Including a wellness premium incentive opportunity
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off - Including 18 days of PTO and 9 paid holidays in the first year
• Short Term Disability - Accrue up to seven days annually, to be used during an extended personal illness
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Accounts
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with company match
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Gateway is a qualified employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Training & Development Programs

Gateway Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets. Please view Equal Employment Opportunity Posters provided by OFCCP here.