A Practice Perspective Integrating Whole Person Health and Community-Based Recreational Therapy

Authors

  • Patricia Jean Craig University of New Hampshire
  • Tye Thompson Northeast Passage, a Program of the University of New Hampshire
  • Jessie Bennett University of New Hampshire
  • Semra Aytur University of New Hampshire
  • Grace Roy John Snow, Inc., Boston, MA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2026-V60-I2-13270

Keywords:

Acceptance and commitment therapy, chronic pain, community-based recreational therapy, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care

Abstract

National health priorities increasingly emphasize whole person health and integrative approaches to chronic pain management. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Strategic Plan (2021–2025) reframes complementary health into a broader whole person health paradigm that integrates nutritional, psychological, and physical therapeutic inputs across interconnected biological, behavioral, social, and environmental domains. Recreational therapy (RT) aligns closely with this reframing through its biopsychosocial, strengths-based, and participation-centered foundations. This practice perspective case report integrates NCCIH’s whole person health framework with a Community-Based Recreational Therapy (C-BRT) program to illustrate how acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing (MI), and trauma-informed care (TIC) can be operationalized within community-based RT for individuals with chronic pain. A case example demonstrates how RT contributes to psychological flexibility, resilience, symptom management, and community reintegration. Authors note recommendations for practice and research supporting the tenets of their practice perspective. 

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Published

2026-05-04

Issue

Vol. 60 No. 2 (2026): Whole Person Health

Section

Practice Perspective

License

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