Our vision is to ensure that “All Washington's children and youth grow up safe and healthy, thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community".

Job Title: Recreation Therapist 2 (RT2)
Location: Chehalis, WA
Closes: Sunday, July 26, 2026
Salary: $54,204 - $71,136 Monthly. The salary does not include an additional 5% premium pay for employees working in an on-site 24/7 facility 5% premium.

Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is looking for a Recreation Therapist 2 to plan, organize and lead therapeutic recreation activities to meet the needs, interests, and abilities of individual residents at Green Hill School (GHS), a Juvenile Rehabilitation maximum security residential facility.

Click here to learn more about DCYF.

The Opportunity:

You will assist young, incarcerated people on transforming their lives by providing therapeutic recreational services consistent with the JRS Integrated Treatment Model. The Therapeutic Recreational Team provides young people with daily Wellness and Therapeutic services, supporting the individual treatment plans of young people, in a healthy environment that supports and improves their physical, mental, emotional and social health. You will also provide interventions with youth to reduce the use of isolation and room confinement.

Some of what you will do:

• Provide therapeutic recreational services to young people with complex conditions including acute mental health diagnosis.
• Assess, plan, develop, and implement therapeutic recreation services to meet needs, interests, and abilities of individual youth with complex physical and/or mental disabilities.
• Work in one or more skill areas, directing, conducting or instructing in therapeutic recreation program.
• Train and coordinate staff in therapeutic recreation program.
• Implement intervention techniques to bring about specific behavioral change or improvement in young people.
• Facilitate improvement of social, cognitive, emotional and physical functional abilities.
• Direct, train and coordinate the work of recreation therapy students and/or volunteers in therapeutic recreational procedures.
• Plans, organizes and leads staff wellness activities
• Organize community service events, skills coaching on how to achieve campus occupation, and work with young people and their support network to help them access resources in their communities.
• Assess young people's behavior for risk to self and others within the treatment milieu and communicate within residential counselors and supervisors regarding appropriate intervention.

Required Qualifications:

Equivalent education/experience totaling 2 years.

OR

Graduation from an accredited Therapeutic Recreation Program, AND 18 months of professional therapeutic recreation.

AND

1. The ability to take action to learn and grow.
2. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Demonstrated understanding of adolescent development and juvenile rehabilitation practices and principles. Experience providing therapeutic recreation services.
• Demonstrated competency in relating to clients from diverse backgrounds and cultural groups.
• Knowledge of skeletal, muscular, and neuron-anatomy: mental illness principles, equipment of recreation therapy; various methods of provision in the physical, affective, social and cognitive realms; safety and risk management methods; assessment and evaluation reporting methods.
• Ability to assess, plan, provide, evaluate and modify programs/provisions to allow inclusive participation for individual youth; cooperative skills in working with youth; and maintain professional and working

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington's children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

Applicants selected for an interview are required to pass a national fingerprint background check and complete a questionnaire mandated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) inquiring about any sexual misconduct. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but is considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the job.

This position is in a bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). For more information: https://wfse.org/.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment or if you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact the Talent Acquisition Specialist. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at (855)524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 360-664-1960.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and wish to claim Veteran's Preference MUST attach a copy of their DD214, NGB Form 22 or Predischarge Certification (issued not more than 120 days prior to End of Term of Service (ETS) by date of submission). If claiming preference based on Predischarge Certification, individual will be required to provide their official discharge documentation, such as a DD form 214, NGB form 22, or equivalent, within 30 days after the date of discharge. Please blackout (redact) the social security number before attaching any documents. For additional information on Veteran's Preference and guidance on how to determine if you are eligible, click here.

DCYF participates in the federal E-Verify program. The selected candidate must provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States, consistent with E-Verify requirements, on their first day of employment.