Nancy Richeson PhD

Nancy Richeson has been at the forefront of developing recreational therapy interventions for use in the care of older adults. “Non-drug, psycho-social interventions are important alternatives because pharmacological treatments have limited effectiveness for certain behaviors in older adults with dementia––and can have serious side effects.”
Dr. Richeson’s research interests include creating evidence-based practice in recreational therapy by testing the effects of such interventions as animal-assisted therapy, Reiki, and pedometers. She teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in the Recreation Management and Therapeutic Recreation Department.
Recently Dr. Richeson and her colleagues developed a recreational therapy assessment in long-term care titled the BANDI-RT. She has been on the board of directors for the American Therapeutic Recreation Association and the National Council of Therapeutic Recreation Certification. She was recognized as the American Therapeutic Recreation Association's Member of the Year in 2003 and in 2011 was awarded the Scholarly Achievement award. In 2012, Dr. Richeson took on the role of Editor-in-Chief of the American Therapeutic Recreation Journal. Most recently (2014), she was recognized as a Fellow in the National Academy of Recreational Therapy (NART).