Recreational Therapy is a systematic process that uses recreation and other activity-based interventions to identify and address the needs of individuals with mental health illness or behavioral problems.

Recreational Therapists are typically found in in-patient settings and form part of the treatment team to provide targeted therapies.

Cedar Oaks Clinic is very excited to be able to offer the services of Maddie Miller who is a Licensed Recreational Therapist/Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. She has worked with adolescents in the only state run Residential Psychiatric Treatment Facility where she ran trauma informed groups in areas such as life skills, stress, and frustration management, social skills, as well as teaching the adolescents how to cope effectively in a positive manner rather than engaging in maladaptive behaviors.

Maddie works with the entire treatment team to create interventions and help both adults and adolescents to be able to cope better with their personal situation. This can be done through modalities such art, collages, everyday activities that have a therapeutic twist to teach frustration management, self-esteem, anger management, self-confidence, and overall regaining a sense of purpose of one’s life.

Maddie works with individuals and families and will identify individual needs, develop strategies and offer tools to address those needs.

Why should I see a Recreational Therapist instead of a Counselor?

  • A Recreational Therapist applies a different approach to assess and address your Mental Health and Behavioral issues.
  • By using an activity-based approach they provide an alternative to a purely talk-based approach.
  • This can be extremely successful for certain patients including children or adults who may be reluctant or nervous in a purely talk-based setting.
  • Maddie includes her service dog, Joan, to create a relaxed and engaging environment in which she can identify and address individual needs.

Crisis Services

Always contact the Cedar Oaks Team with any concerns or questions. In an emergency, or if you are unable to contact us, listed below are some additional helplines and advocacy services. These are run by different organizations.  They are free services that you can use for talk or text support in an emotional crisis. For a medical emergency always call 988.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline

If you would like immediate help, please call or text 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). Through this toll-free phone number, we offer a network of crisis centers across the country. These centers staff their lines with people who are trained to listen and offer support to people in emotional crisis. If you are in an immediate medical crisis, please call 988.

North Carolina Hopeline – you talk, and we listen.

CALL OR TEXT: 919-231-4525 | 877-235-4525

https://www.hopeline-nc.org/

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Health

Crisis line, information, and advocacy

NAMI North Carolina

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