The Arizona State Therapeutic Recreation Association (ASTRA) was founded in 1989 to represent the interests and aspirations of therapeutic recreation professionals in Arizona. ASTRA is a chapter affiliate of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and supports its definition of therapeutic recreation as the provision of treatment services and the provision of recreation services to persons with illnesses or disabling conditions.

The primary purposes of treatment services, which are often referred to as Recreational Therapy, are to restore, remediate, or rehabilitate in order to improve functioning and independence as well as reduce or eliminate the effects of illness or disability. The primary purposes of recreation services are to provide recreation resources and opportunities in order to improve health and well-being.

The Mission of the Arizona State Therapeutic Recreation Association (ASTRA), a member driven organization, is to promote professional excellence in therapeutic recreation by:

• Increasing public awareness and understanding of the profession

• Developing and promoting professional standards

• Advocating for excellence in the educational and clinical arenas

• Enhancing the knowledge base of the profession through educational opportunities

• Promoting research based practice