Leisure Wellness and Education
HPR 322
Chapter 14
 Leisure Education is a paramount function of Leisure
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Programming
Individuals with disabilities face barriers (constraints) to
leisure participation
Undeveloped leisure can be a primer for deviant behavior
Some people avoid leisure participation because they don’t
understand what it is or the benefits
Having free time is not beneficial unless you know how to
use it properly
 Watching TV can have some benefits but heavy TV watching
can have harmful effects:
 Development of sedentary lifestyle that contributes to heart
disease, obesity, hypertension, and other illnesses
 Individual and community isolation
 Development of violent behaviors via social learning theory
 Decrease of quality time or meaningfulness in life
Individuals seek more meaningful
leisure experiences
Desire to develop appropriate skills,
knowledge, attitudes required for
successful participation.
You can teach them leisure wellness
skills
Leisure Wellness
Access to information
Decision Making
Clarify Leisure-related values
Traditional strategies
Instructional programs and
services
Leisure Barriers
 Attitudinal – ex. Must be athletically gifted to
participate in physical fitness
 Communicative – Agency must provide clear,
accurate, and meaningful info about offerings.
Individual must be able to send and receive messages
 Consumptive – Purchasing “experiences which are
“in vogue” but don’t match needs
 Economic – Lack of discretionary funds and
individuals associate “value” with “cost”
Barriers (cont’d)
 Experiential – No experience so activity is avoided
 Health - Illnesses and conditions may prevent
participation physically, emotionally, socially –
Adaptations necessary
 Leisure Awareness – “Leisure Ethic’ – Lack knowledge of
benefits, resources, skills
 Physical Resource – Lack of facilities and overcrowding
– National Parks are being “loved to death” - Facilities in
communities “run down”
Barriers (cont’d)
 Social Cultural – Attention must be given to
needs based on diversity – racial, ethnic, social,
economic, political, and cultural
 Temporal – Not having enough time or quality
time to pursue leisure interests
 Work schedules, year around schools, flextime,
four day work weeks require new approaches to
address customer’s needs
Leisure Education
 Developmental process through which individuals or
groups of people increase their understanding of leisure
and the relationships among leisure, lifestyle, and society
(Mundy, 1998)
 Develops
 Skills that develop competencies
 Knowledge of leisure experiences available (resources)
 Experience increases confidence and desire to explore
 Attitudes, Values, Appreciation – Positive perception
of leisure
Components of Leisure Education
 Leisure Appreciation
 Self-Awareness
 Decision-Making
 Self-Determination
 Leisure Activity Skills
 Community Skills
 Social Skills
 Leisure Resources
Components represent Goals that may be achieved by
clients through Leisure Education
 Leisure Appreciation
 Assess attitudes toward leisure and assist clients
in becoming aware that leisure offers benefits
 Self-Awareness
 Clients examine their leisure lifestyle to
become aware of leisure values, patterns,
behaviors, barriers so they may make
alterations
 Decision-Making
 Many individuals with disabilities have not had
opportunities to engage in decision-making
 Self-Determination
 Being in control of the course a life takes
 CTRS assists clients in identifying leisure
preferences and assert themselves to achieve
them
 Leisure Activity Skills
 Archery to Yoga – Individuals need a repertoire of activities and
the skills to engage
 Community Skills
 Skills to participate in community life
 Transportation, handling money/finances
 Social Skills
 Overcome deficits by
 Modeling appropriate behaviors, role playing, providing opportunities,
reinforcing positive skills, formal training
 Leisure Resources
 Information about possible community
resources (places, programs, people) to
meet their interests
 Leisure Ed ranges from appreciation for
leisure to obtaining concrete information
about possible community leisure resources
 Leisure Ed may take place in
 Classes
 Social Skills training groups
 Community Reintegration programs
 Group Counseling
 Individual Counseling
 Counseling is a means of Leisure Ed
 CTRSs are Helping Professionals and must be
able to communicate therapeutically
Leisure Ability Model
 Overall purpose of Leisure Education
 Assist participants in acquiring leisure-related
knowledge and skills so participants can
eventually gain an independent leisure lifestyle
(Peterson and Stumbo, 2000)
 This Leisure Education Model consists of four
components
 Leisure Awareness – Knowledge of leisure, self-
awareness, leisure and play attitudes, and related
participatory and decision-making skills
 Social Interaction Skills – Dual, Small Group, and
Large Group
 Leisure Activity Skills – Traditional and NonTraditional activities and skills
 Leisure Resources – Activity opportunities, personal
resources, family and home resources, and state and
national resources
Leisure Lifestyle Center (LLC)
 Dept of Recreation Management and Therapeutic Recreation
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at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Community-Based Leisure Education Program
Begins with individualized leisure assessment in which
participants become aware of leisure and self
Participants learn different skills (e.g. decision-making, social
skills, activity skills)
The goal is to help participants experience the benefits of
leisure and develop a lifestyle
Main focus is to assist individuals with disabilities (pg 490)