Jenna Johnstone

Background

About Jenna Johnstone

I am a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) with experience supporting older adults across community and long-term care settings. My work focuses on assessment, person-centred planning, and putting practical supports in place to help seniors age in place safely, independently, and with dignity.Alongside my clinical work, I am a dance and fitness instructor and share a strong belief in movement, self-expression, and embodied wellness as essential components of quality of life.I currently serve as President of the British Columbia Therapeutic Recreation Association (BCTRA), where I am involved in advancing professional standards, role clarity, and evidence-informed practice across the province. I also teach in post-secondary education, including the Recreation Therapy Assistant diploma program at Stenberg College and the Activity Assistant program at the University of the Fraser Valley.My research has been published in the World Leisure Journal and the inaugural edition of the Canadian Recreational Therapy Journal. My scholarly work explores the impact of COVID-19 on Therapeutic Recreation professionals working in long-term care, with a particular focus on professional quality of life, including compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. I have presented at provincial, national and international conferences and facilitated both full-day and half-day professional workshops.I am passionate about strengthening the recreation therapy profession through evidence, ethical practice, and thoughtful systems-level work — while staying grounded in the realities of practice and the lived experience of the people we serve.