June 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 17

for managing PTSD symptoms. Art
therapy can provide emotional relief
by encouraging free expression, and
has been shown to relieve depression and anxiety. The U.S. Army
formed partnerships with the Exceptional Family Member Program
and MEDCOM facilities, as well as
the American Art Therapy Program
(AATP), to develop its Resiliency
through Art program. Josh Gwinn,
Army IMCOM-G9, believes the
initiative is an effective tool for
supporting service members with
PTSD. " Art therapy offers activities
that provide a calming, stress-free
environment in which soldiers often
strengthen relationships with their
family as well as discovering new
strengths and building life skills. "

612 670 8195 | www.cre8play.com
email us at info@cre8play and type " upd8 " in the subject to receive our e-newsletter

Preventative Measures
The Marine Corps has also developed recreational programs that
are aimed at preventing PTSD
symptoms from developing. Operation Adrenaline Rush (OAR) is a
high-adventure outdoor recreation
activity in which Marines returning from deployment participate as
a unit to garner cohesion, resiliency and maintain combat readiness.
OAR was developed in 2011 as part
of the Office of the Secretary of
Defense initiative known as " Return and Recreate. " " Everyone is
changed by their deployment experiences and some transition easier
than others, " says Cathy Ficadenti,
Semper Fit and Recreation Branch
Head for the Marine and Family
Programs Division. " OAR is a tool
to assist Marines in finding a new
level of normal and bringing that
level down from the peak response
to a stressful situation. The program
provides recreational activities that
can recreate an adrenaline rush such

as zip lining, paintball and white
water rafting, or provide low adrenaline level activities such as deep sea
fishing, and biking. " Since the program's inception, more than 24,000
Marines and Sailors have participated in the OAR program.
An Ongoing Role for
Parks and Recreation
When developing recreational therapies for service members, both the
Marine Corps and the Army stress
the importance of looking to park
and recreation agencies for guidance. " The [park and recreation]
industry informs our programs as
we monitor trends and technical
advancements, as well as striving
to provide comparable services to
those outside the gates of Marine
Corps bases, " says Ficadenti.
In addition, as the leaders of
health and wellness in communities across the nation, park and
recreation agencies must be aware

of the large amount of active duty,
reserve forces and veterans in their
communities. Agencies can offer
recreational programming that
encourages physical and mental
health and well-being, while simultaneously providing a support
system for veterans as they transfer
out of active duty and back into civilian life. Park and recreation professionals are particularly attuned
to the needs of the communities
they serve, and are well-suited to
partner with local Veterans Affairs
departments to enhance current offerings or develop specialized programs. And, says Ficadenti, such
partnerships can benefit both parties. " Working with specialists in
the field who have the experience
and knowledge of this diagnosis
will strengthen programs within the
parks and recreation field. "
Allison Colman is a Program Manager at
NRPA (acolman@nrpa.org).

W W W. N R PA . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 5 |

Parks & Recreation

June 2015 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2015 - Parks & Recreation