Episode 13: Recreational Therapy with Livie Puranen and Susan Montgomery

Meet Livie Puranen, a current student pursuing a bachelor's degree in recreational therapy at the University of South Alabama College of Education and Professional Studies. Recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being. Puranen's academic journey began with interest in occupational therapy, but later gravitated to the fun and creative aspects of recreational therapy. Susan Montgomery, an instructor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport, also joins Puranen in this episode.  Puranen completed an an independent study at the Mulherin Home, a residential facility for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. Fresh from working as a makeup artist on a locally produced horror film, Livie took her love for filmmaking into her work with Mulherin Home residents and committed to working with residents to compose, film and screen their own movie. The use of film and video in recreational therapy is not a well-developed practice, but this did not deter Puranen. She began with screening and discussing the art of filmmaking with her residents and moved into working with residents to brainstorm, script and film their own movie. This project helped Puranen learn how to refine her skills to develop recreational therapy programs and better understand the research literature in her field. Puranen is interested in pursuing graduate education in recreational therapy and hopes to further explore the integration of film and video into recreational therapy practice.  To watch a recording of "Murder At Mulherin Mansion" visit https://youtu.be/dG61A1YtaWQ.