Jess Jones Recreation Therapy Inc.

Professional learning doesn’t only happen at conferences or formal workshops.

Sometimes, the most valuable insights happen over a cup of coffee when someone says, "I’ve been thinking about this..." and someone across the table responds, "We’ve been seeing that too."

That is the idea behind the Therapeutic Recreation Collective, a free monthly gathering hosted at the Leisure Learning Lab!

It is intentionally different from traditional networking. There are no membership fees, no association rules, and no expectation to show up with an elevator pitch. It’s simply a dedicated space for people working, studying, or teaching in Therapeutic Recreation to sit around a table, talk about the work, share resources, and learn from one another.

Details:

📍 The Leisure Learning Lab (1535 North Routledge Park, London)
🗓 Every Monday, Starting September 28
🕕 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Cost: Free to attend (café drinks and food available for purchase)

First Gathering: Coming this fall! 🍁🍂

We’re currently pulling together an interest list to help us lock in the exact dates and plan the space. Whether you’re in healthcare, long-term care, community services, or still in school, there’s a seat at the table for you.

Head to the link in our bio to add your name to the list and help us shape the first season!

✨ We have an announcement to make! ✨

We’ve rescheduled Small Comforts in Practice to August 19, 2026, from 6 PM-8 PM EST!

We’re excited to bring this interactive virtual workshop to you and create a space where recreation professionals, therapists, facilitators, and community leaders can learn, connect, and walk away with practical tools they can bring into their own spaces.

During the session, you’ll have the opportunity to:

✨️ Experience the program firsthand
✨ Explore practical facilitation techniques
✨️ Leave with a ready-to-use program blueprint
✨️Receive a private consultation customized to your clients’ needs

Led by Benji (they/them), Recreation Therapy Assistant at JJRT, this workshop combines professional expertise and lived experience to explore how art and leisure can support coping, self-awareness, connection, and everyday joy.

🗓 New Date: August 19, 2026
⏰ 6 PM-8 PM EST
💻 Live on Zoom
Join here : https://www.jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/event-details/small-comforts-in-practice-2
If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to explore expressive arts programming and take away practical tools you can use in your own practice, we’d love to have you join us.

Save the new date, we can’t wait to welcome you!

We can’t wait to learn and create alongside you! ✨

Mental health is health.

Recreation Therapy has always been at the heart of JJRT. During our transition into the new centre, we intentionally took a step back from accepting new members so we could settle in, rebuild our rhythm, and create the kind of environment our community deserves.

Now, we are ready to welcome new Recreation Therapy members again.

Recreation Therapy at JJRT supports emotional wellness, everyday life skills, confidence, connection, and empowered living through meaningful recreation and leisure experiences.

This may include creative expression, movement, reflection, sensory-based experiences, life skills, community connection, and exploring what helps you feel more grounded in daily life.

Wellness is more than feeling better. It is about learning how to live with more confidence, intention, and support.

If you have been waiting to connect with us, now is a good time to begin.

519.902.JESS (5377)
https://www.jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/counselling

Does your loved one need more connection during the week?

Many older adults spend more time alone than their families realize.

The days can become quiet. Routines can shrink. Social opportunities may become harder to access. Confidence can change. And families are often left wondering how to offer more connection, stimulation, and support without making it feel clinical or overwhelming.

JJRT’s Senior Supported Social Group was created for this exact reason.

This weekly recreation therapy-informed group gives older adults a warm and supportive place to socialize, participate, engage, and feel part of something meaningful.

Members are supported in a small group environment with a 1:5 ratio, allowing for connection, structure, and gentle guidance throughout the afternoon.

Each month includes 12 hours of supported programming, offering seniors a consistent weekly rhythm and families greater peace of mind.

✨Senior Supported Social Group✨

✨Investment: $380/month
✨Schedule: Tuesdays or Thursdays, 2:00–5:00 PM
✨Group Size: 2 cohorts of 10 individuals
✨Location: 1535 North Routledge Park, Hyde Park, London
✨Anticipated Start Date: July 14, 2026

This group is ideal for seniors who would benefit from:

* Social connection
* Meaningful recreation
* Gentle support
* Routine and structure
* A safe and welcoming environment
* Time outside the home
* A renewed sense of belonging

Now accepting new clients.

To learn more or reserve a space, contact JJRT:

519-902-JESS (5377)
[email protected]

OR - Apply today!

https://www.jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/socialgroups

Starting Soon: Connected

We are now accepting names for the waitlist for Connected: Healthy Relationships & Community Connection Skills Group.

This 8-week program is for adults 18+ with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including autism and FASD.

Connected is designed to help participants build confidence and practical skills related to friendship, communication, boundaries, consent, dating, privacy, safety, and trusted support.

Participants will learn through structured activities, games, visual tools, role play, conversation, and reflection.

Together, we will explore:

✨Different kinds of relationships
✨Healthy and unhealthy relationships
✨Boundaries and personal space
✨Consent in everyday life
✨Communication and conflict
✨Friendship and belonging
✨Dating and romantic relationships
✨Sexual relationships, privacy, safety, and trusted support

Program Details

✨8 weeks
✨2-hour sessions
✨Adults 18+
✨Small group: up to 15 participants

$695 + HST
May be eligible for Passport funding
Located in London, Ontario at The Leisure Learning Lab powered by JJRT

This group is for adults who would benefit from a supportive, accessible space to learn about relationships, connection, safety, and self-advocacy.

Join the waitlist here: https://forms.gle/Ss8xhBhBpN3PUvUs6

🌈 Inclusive care starts with informed care. 🌈

As recreation therapists and healthcare professionals, we support beautifully diverse communities every single day, but many of us were never properly taught how to create spaces that feel truly safe and affirming for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.

This workshop is here to change that.

Join us for an interactive, collaborative virtual learning experience designed to move beyond rigid lectures and into real conversations, practical tools, and meaningful change.

✨ Learn modern 2SLGBTQ+ terminology with confidence
✨ Explore the systemic barriers q***r and gender diverse individuals face in healthcare spaces
✨ Gain actionable strategies for respectful, affirming client interactions
✨ Walk away with tools and resources you can implement immediately in your practice

Facilitated by Benji (they/them), this workshop is grounded in lived experience, professional insight, and a commitment to creating safer, more inclusive care environments.

🗓 June 25, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EST
💻 Virtual Collaboration Space
🎓 Eligible for NCTRC 0.15 CEUs (Subject to Approval)

This is more than professional development. It’s an opportunity to reflect, evolve, and actively contribute to safer healthcare experiences for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

🏳️‍🌈 Plus, a portion of every ticket sale supports local Pride initiatives in London and helps uplift LGBTQ+ advocacy, education, and community support efforts.

True inclusion is not a checklist, it’s a practice.

✨ Recreation professionals, this one is for you. ✨

You pour so much into your community, now it’s time to invest in tools that pour back into you.

Introducing, Small Comforts in Practice, an interactive virtual workshop designed to help recreation professionals, therapists, facilitators, and community leaders bring meaningful, low-cost expressive arts programming into their spaces without spending endless hours building curriculum from scratch.

✨️ Experience the program firsthand
✨️ Learn practical facilitation techniques
✨️ Walk away with a ready-to-use program blueprint
✨️ Receive a private consultation session customized to your clients’ needs

This isn’t just another workshop. It’s a creative, reflective, and accessible approach to helping people build coping tools, self-awareness, and everyday joy through art and leisure.

Led by Benji (they/them), Recreation Therapy Assistant at JJRT, this session blends professional expertise with lived experience to create a radically authentic learning space.

🗓 July 2, 2026
⏰ 6 PM – 8 PM EST
💻 Live on Zoom
🎟 Early Bird offer until June 10!! https://www.jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/event-details/small-comforts-in-practice-1

Allow us to hand you the blueprint so you can focus on what matters most: connection, care, and community.

What if respite could be more than just a break?

At JJRT, our respite services are built around connection, creativity, and curiosity.

While caregivers take time to recharge, participants engage in meaningful experiences designed to support confidence, independence, social connection, and community participation.

We currently offer:

• Community-Based Respite
• In-Home Respite
• One-to-One Supports
• Group-Based Recreation Programs
• PA Day, School Break, and Summer Supports
• Community Outings and Leisure Exploration

Our team includes Recreation Therapists and Recreation Therapy Assistants and Life Enrichment Specialists who focus on creating experiences that are engaging, purposeful, and tailored to individual strengths and interests.

Funding sources may include:
• Passport Funding
• SSAH
• OAP
• Private Fee-for-Service

Ages 6-106 (children, youth, young adults, adults, older adults)

Whether you're looking for a few hours of support each week, community participation opportunities, or meaningful recreation experiences, we'd love to connect.

To learn more or discuss your family's needs, contact us today at [email protected] or call us at 519 902 JESS (5377)

JJRT
Connection. Creativity. Curiosity.

Hey JJRT Community! I am Benji (they/them), a Recreation Therapy Assistant here at JJRT with an academic background in human biology and evolutionary anthropology.

I've always been fascinated by humans and how we can live more aligned with ourselves, our bodies, and our natures. Over the years, I've become increasingly interested in the role our environments play in shaping our well-being, and how small changes can help people feel more safe, connected, and supported in shared spaces.

That's what inspired me to create “How to Build a Therapeutic Environment.”

In this course, we'll explore what research says about environmental components and well-being, with a focus on built environments in care settings. We'll look at topics like sensory environments, aesthetics in healthcare, bringing nature indoors, and inclusive design, while reflecting on how these ideas can be applied to everyday practice.

A portion of proceeds is giving back - $10 from every sale will go towards supporting a Pride Flag initiative in London to uplift and support our LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 community.

📅 June 16, 2026
🕕 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
📍 Virtual
🎓 NCTRC Approved, Eligible CEUs : 0.15
Register here! https://www.jessjonesrecreationtherapy.ca/event-details/how-to-build-a-therapeutic-environment

I'd love to have you join me for this conversation and exploration!