"The Spirit of the Southwest"
The Arizona State Therapeutic Recreation Association (ASTRA) was founded in 1989 to represent the interests and aspirations of therapeutic recreation professionals in Arizona and surrounding states.
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:
ASTRA serves as an advocate for therapeutic recreation in order to promote the health and well-being of the public through services, education, research, and the promotion and development of standards in therapeutic recreation.
The purpose of Arizona State Therapeutic Recreation Association is the following:
● Promoting and advancing the public’s awareness and understanding of therapeutic recreation.
● Promoting the professional standards for the delivery of therapeutic recreation services.
● Advocating for the advancement of therapeutic recreation services in the community, rehabilitation, correctional, educational, and other systems for individuals.
● Supporting and conducting research and demonstration efforts to improve the delivery of therapeutic recreation services for the public.
● Provide educational opportunities to improve the delivery of quality therapeutic recreation personnel in the delivery of quality services.
● Contributing to the building of a strong national organization and strong national advocacy for the profession’s future.
● Maintaining open lines of communication with the national organization and leadership including annual written reports.