There has been a revolution in the depth and breadth of the literature of our ever-evolving and maturing profession of recreational therapy. The authors’ goal in preparing this fifth edition of Recreational Therapy: An Introduction was to continue their quest to provide a text that would clearly define recreational therapy as a health care profession.

This edition, like prior editions, focuses on the purposeful use of recreation and leisure activities as interventions to enhance the health and well-being of clients served by credentialed recreational therapists. A central feature of the book is the recreational therapy process (or APIE process) that provides a cornerstone for recreational therapy practice.

As the authors finished work on this fifth edition of Recreational Therapy: An Introduction, they noted with pride that recreational therapists were listed among the “essential workers” in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This new edition will serve as a valuable asset to those doing this important work and will help further the practice of recreational therapy in health care.