Registered Psychotherapist / Professor Emeritus
Brock University
Colleen Deyell Hood is a passionate advocate for people with illnesses and disabilities. She has been an educator and researcher in the field of therapeutic recreation (TR) for more than 35 years and has served in this role at a number of different universities in Canada and the US, now holding a position as Professor Emeritus at Brock University. Therapeutic recreation is an allied health profession that provides services designed to support the development of capacities related to living well with illness or disability through the use of, and engagement in, meaningful leisure experiences. One of Colleen’s major contributions to the field of TR is the development and publication of the Leisure and Well-Being Model, a contemporary, strengths-based service delivery model for therapeutic recreation (TR).
Colleen is passionate about increasing the quality and sophistication of TR services and is equally passionate about being of service to the field. Her expertise and professional experience relate to clients with mental health challenges and trauma-informed care in therapeutic recreation practice. She brings this expertise to the classroom, to the professional field, and to her research endeavours. She pushes students and professionals to envision themselves making a significant difference in the lives of clients through critical thinking and through increasing their own sophistication in conceptualizing and delivering their services. Her authenticity inspires current and future practitioners to connect and engage with both the material and with her personally
Colleen has extended her passion for leisure into a small private psychotherapy practice that she started after completing the program at the Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy. In all her work with clients, she incorporates a focus on engaging in meaningful activities in free time that increase positive emotion and cultivate capacity and competence.
In Colleen’s personal life, she has reaped the benefits of leisure engagement for dealing with adversity and is fully committed to a life that incorporates meaningful leisure pursuits. She loves to create – and currently enjoys working with textiles to create a variety of objects that are appreciated by friend and family. She is a striving golfer who demonstrates tremendous tenacity in the face of poor skills. She is also committed to her family, including her extended family of grandchildren and in-laws.