Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, BETHESDA, Md  –   – Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is recognizing National Recreational Therapy Month during February, highlighting recreational therapists' vital role in the rehabilitation and recovery of service members, their families and other beneficiaries of the Military Health System.

“Having the opportunity to serve our military and their families is what I find most rewarding about working at Walter Reed,” said Cara Navarro, a recreational therapist in the Department of Rehabilitation at Walter Reed.

Recreational therapy helps patients rediscover passions, develop new skills, and access support resources, Navarro explained. The treatment also plays a key role in helping injured service members regain the physical and mental readiness required to return to duty.

Walter Reed employs both outpatient and inpatient recreational therapists. These therapists use various activities to improve strength, fitness, sleep, and energy levels. Their work also supports stress relief, anxiety reduction, emotional regulation, and cognitive health, contributing to overall well-being and confidence.

“Recreational Therapy’s focus includes adaptive sports, leisure education, healthy social connection, and community resources,” Navarro said.

At Walter Reed, patients engage in therapeutic activities such as swimming, wheelchair basketball, adaptive yoga, and kayaking. These programs provide physical benefits and opportunities for social engagement and personal growth.

Navarro described recreational therapy as “a therapeutic approach that leverages the power of play and recreation to promote healing and quality of life.”

Jennifer Beattie is an inpatient recreational therapist at Walter Reed. “I became an RT because I know I wanted to work with people, and I did not want to sit behind a desk [and] computer. I wanted to work with people and make a difference for them.”

“One of the modalities I use with clients is the dog program,” Beattie added. “I am a handler, and I am able to utilize the dog program for animal assisted therapy (AAT).”

AAT is a form of treatment that uses trained animals to improve the physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being of individuals. It can be used to address stress, anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD, self-esteem issues, loneliness, socialization challenges, addiction, schizophrenia, emotional and behavior problems in children, Alzheimer’s disease, trauma, and other conditions. AAT can be a complementary to antidepressants or be beneficial as a non-pharmacological intervention.

Sjoribel Traverso is also an outpatient RT at Walter Reed. “In my position, the most rewarding aspect is helping people get back into what they love to do,” she explained. “No matter their diagnosis, illness, or situation they may have, being able to educate them and aide them to get back into what they love to do is very rewarding.”

“One of my first experiences here at Walter Reed was helping a spinal cord patient navigate the community, so we did Metro training and visited different stops on the Metro. This was all to help him in preparation for going to a concert a few months later, and he wanted to be more independent in the community. Now he is thriving, traveling, and doing all these fun things because of leisure. Leisure is a huge motivator to get people to participate in treatment, which is our ‘buy-in’ to our services.”

For more information on recreational therapy services at Walter Reed, visit [WRNMMC’s website] or contact the Department of Rehabilitation.