Celebrating Shriners Children's Recreational Therapists

Laura Teague has been a recreational therapist at Shriners Children’s St. Louis for more than three decades, and since she started, she has impacted thousands of patients. February is Recreational Therapy Month, and Laura is educating others about the impact recreational therapy can have on a patient’s care.

“Recreational therapy isn't just about play, it's about working on goals to not only help a patient manage their pain and live with their condition, but do things they love so they can thrive,” said Teague. “When we meet a patient for the first time, we get to know them, find out about their background and learn what they like to do when they’re at home. We make them feel comfortable so they can trust us and know that we are a safe space. A recreational therapist's job is to treat the patient's overall health and well-being, and set them up for success so that when they go home they have a variety of resources and activities to help them.”

Recreational therapists at Shriners Children’s work hand in hand with other departments such as child life services, while dealing directly with activity-based intervention, pain management and customizing a treatment plan that focuses on how children can participate in activities as independently as possible.

“When I interned at Shriners Children’s St. Louis in college, the resilience of the patients inspired me to have a career here,” said Teague. “The one-on-one interactions with a recreational therapist are so beneficial to their overall care. A lot of times we serve as a distraction from their pain. I’ve had thousands of patients throughout the years, and it is now so special when a former patient comes in as a parent with their kids who are now patients. Recreational therapy is vital to the success of our patient's care journey.”