Therapeutic Recreation

PRIVATE PRACTICE

5 Steps to Starting a Private Practice

Starting a private practice involves taking some initial steps and asking yourself some hard questions.

#1 What population will I work with ? Ask yourself :

- What population do I want to work with and have experience working with? Think about your assets/your skills.

- What type of environment would I like to work in? Outdoors/Indoors, Hospital, Care Home, Community Outreach, etc.

- What types of services will I provide?- These questions will help you to realize

where your passion truly is and your clients will benefit substantially.

#2 Your Company Name Thinking about a name for your company. Picking a name for your company is very

important and requires great thought and research.

Your name is your brand and will catch the attention of the population you work with.

It is very hard to change your name later on and will only create stress.

#3 Your Logo

Your LOGO is how you want your name to be displayed.

Take time to research what is already out there because you don’t want to find out 3 years down the road that your logo is already being used and looks too closely like another company’s, which will cause complications.

#4 Register Your Name

Registering your name with the BC Business Registry.

Once you have 3 name choices you need to register them through BC Business and they will perform a name search for you.

Once you have confirmation that your name is accepted you can go from there and design a logo.

The BC Business Registry website is full of information to help guide you through this process.

#5 Support Gaining valuable support while you are building

your company is very important. Keep a file of all your contacts, research and

ideas so you can use them later on in the process.

Having your loved ones’ support will set you up for success.

Surround your self with positive people. Bring up your courses about self-awareness to

help you engage yourself in this process of starting your own company-(Stress Management)

Why I Started Lifetime Leisure As I started my career in Therapeutic

Recreation I found that my passion is truly working with older adults and those with chronic health conditions.

Ever since I was a little girl I found myself instilled with values and beliefs that led me a life of always including people in conversation and activities no matter age, race, abilities, or health.

Why I Started My best friend had Cystic Fibrosis and

passed away at 18 years old. I was always around and helping her with her condition.

I have a huge fitness background in both competitive and recreation sport and love showing people a new leisure activity.

I coached basketball, volleyball, and track and field for many years.

Why I started The Douglas College program in Therapeutic

Recreation is truly what helped me in my path to private practice.

I have had some major injuries in my life that I have successfully rehabilitated from which helped me in starting my company.

While in school I had a biking accident in which I thought I was not going to make it. I had a hair line fracture in C1 and fractured 3 ribs on the left as well I had a concussion. I was incapacitated for 14 days and had school work to complete.

Why I Started If it were not for me learning coping

techniques and self-awareness through this program I am not sure how I would have rehabilitated so well.

The faculty and their positive nature and delivery of course content helped me in so many ways to rehabilitate.

Why I Started I figured if Therapeutic Recreation can help

me recuperate the way I did then I can help others too.

I also use my skills in TR to help me help my son who has Type 1 Diabetes.

As I began thinking of how I could develop a company I started to assess where, how, and which population I wanted to work with.

Why I Started My love for the outdoors and leisure helped me in

my decision to help those that are elderly or have a chronic health condition access our beautiful BC no matter their abilities.

I saw a gap where community dwellers in this population are socially isolated and with the help of Lifetime Leisure they can increase wellness in all 5 domains of health.

Growing Pains Frustrations are inevitable and it is how well you

deal with the stress that will help you overcome these frustrations.

Taking advice from people is great but make sure you double check before just acting on the advice. Ask lots of different people questions.

When hiring a lawyer for your business interview a couple and ask lots of questions and do not give up until you find your answers.

Insurance: This was my main growing pain amongst others

that took a great deal of time and lessons learned. We as TR’s have no way of accessing insurance

through our association yet. So you need to acquire private insurance which is very expensive-depending on the population you are serving.

Make sure you interview more than one insurance company/broker and ask tons of questions.

Insurance: Other health care professionals have

access to insurance through associations like BCAK, CSEP, and other Associations, etc

Private Practice will soon be more wide spread in the Therapeutic Recreation field and hopefully we will start to discuss insurance options.

Registering my company: In terms of GST and HST I learned a valuable

lesson that cost me a lot of money. I did not research enough and ask the proper

questions as the excitement tends to take over of opening up your own company.

So I ended up having to pay a large portion of HST that I was not charging my clients only because I registered for GST when I did not need to. There is a certain amount of money your company can make HST exempt before you need to register for HST but if you register you will pay.

Injuries During my start up I injured myself and

broke my ribs. I did not give up and was honest with my clients.

I find that your honesty will take you a long way.

Maintaining the drive and passion for the field of Therapeutic Recreation is just what I did and this helped me through.

A Real Example of The Rewards Nina, 96 years old. Upon assessment Nina could only sit, lay in

bed and walk with aids and supervision. She had breast cancer 5 years ago and a

stroke that impaired her left side. Heart Disease, artificial heart valve,

hypertension 176/100 when normal is 120/80.

A Real Example of The Rewards I met Nina 3 months ago. Currently her blood pressure is 139/68 and she is

now off medication for hypertension. Physically Nina can now get out of a chair on her

own which was one of her #1 goals - To increase muscular strength.

She has improved her balance substantially and can now walk with minimal supervision.

Nina has a wonderful attitude on life and is grateful to have improved her quality of life.

PREVENTING SOCIAL ISOLATION

Adapted kayaking for people with paraplegia

Guided Hiking

“Recreations purpose is not to pass time but to make life, not to keep a person occupied, but to keep them

refreshed, not to offer an escape from life but to provide a discovery of life!”

Author Unknown

LIFETIME LEISURE LIMITED

ACTIVE LIFESTYLES FORHEALTH

& WELLNESS