When Sarah Mason began her studies at Brock, she had no idea how much time in the wilderness would impact her educational journey.

As part of the Recreation and Leisure Studies program’s fourth-year therapeutic recreation internship credit course, Mason has found herself working in hospital and co-leading a camping trip in Nova Scotia for patients faced with mental health issues.

During her internship, the 26-year-old from Mount Forest, Ont., is partnering with practising professionals to provide recreation therapy in an acute care setting for mental health patients dealing with psychosis, schizophrenia and other diagnoses.

“I wanted to explore something that was different than the long-term care settings where I had worked in the past,” she said of her decision to intern in the Abbie J. Lane building of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Centre. “I chose to go to Nova Scotia for the acute care, the faster pace and the ability to work outside.”

During her 15-week stay on the east coast, Mason co-led a trip to a local campground that allows patients who are close to discharge a chance to experience recreation in a different style than what is offered in hospital.

While interacting with the patients on a daily basis, she was struck by the impact recreation therapy in a new environment could have.

“It was eye-opening,” she said. “Sometimes in a hospital setting, certain patients can become institutionalized, but as soon as we took them to the camp, we were able to see different parts of their personalities and that we were making a difference.”

To help plan the trip and ensure the safety and well-being of their patients, Mason and her co-workers left nothing to chance.

“We had to book the location, arrange the transport and prepare the activities,” she said. “We took patients who could interact well with each other, and we decided what food we were going to make.”

Luckily, the team also prepared for rain. Despite inclement weather cancelling some of their outside activities, the group found camaraderie by gathering around the campfire together.

“One of the supervisors, a nurse and one of the patients all played the guitar very well,” she said. “We would have them play songs that gave everyone the chance to reflect on what they had learned that day and sing along if they wanted. We had lots planned, but once we were there the setting was different than we expected and we went with it.”

Learning in real-world settings and having to adapt on the fly are two of the key takeaways the course’s instructor, Lauren Cripps, hopes every student acquires while on their experiential placement.

“The course is designed to give them tangible experience and real-time feedback on how to best do their job through a combination of academic and clinical responsibilities,” she said. “Recreation therapy is an allied health profession, but we are not self-regulated by a professional college and that’s what makes the internship such an important piece. It exposes our students to the standards of practice that are valuable and forces them to complete experiences in all of the job task areas outlined by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation over a minimum of 560 hours and 15 weeks.”

Cripps said that many students gain important networking contacts by maintaining relationships with their internship supervisors long after their placements have finished.

For Mason, there was plenty to be learned while living in Halifax. Along with experiencing the practical ins and outs of her role, she now understands the importance of the lessons she is teaching her patients about using recreation to become acclimated to new surroundings.

“I joined two baseball teams and a ball hockey team to get myself engaged in the community and meet people,” she said. “I knew I needed to practise what I preached to my patients.”

Mason is thankful she was able to take part in an experiential learning placement that has allowed her to grow personally and professionally while also preparing her for the next step in her career.

“My time in Nova Scotia has taught me how to approach things differently with every patient I see,” she said. “I now feel more confident in what I am doing and I know when I need to switch up my tactics.”

To learn more about Brock’s experiential education opportunities, visit the Experiential Education website.