Diversional Therapist
What the work is
Plans, designs and coordinates individualised recreational, lifestyle and leisure-based activities to support, challenge and enhance the psychological, spiritual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals primarily in health care or aged care homes.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Identifies individual needs, interests, skills, autonomy and abilities through task analysis, and encourages participation and independence in suitable leisure and recreational events
- Evaluates and assesses clients' levels of abilities, interests, needs, strengths, weaknesses, and their ability to carry out a range of tasks and interact with others
- Adapts programs to suit individual needs, interests, skills and abilities
- Plans, implements and coordinates leisure-based activity programs for groups and individuals to assist with their social development and promote their sense of wellbeing
- Maintains a knowledge of resources available within a facility and the community
- Assists with training and supervising volunteers and staff
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the activities room and courtyard of a residential aged care home. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A resident who rarely speaks hums along to a song from their youth
- A group activity you planned for ten ends up with the whole lounge joining in
- A family member tells you it was the first time in weeks they saw their mum laugh
Hard days
- An outing you spent weeks planning is cancelled by the weather on the morning
- A resident you have grown close to declines and no longer wants to join in
- Trying to plan for twenty different people when no two want the same thing
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 411331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.