General Activities Therapist

Organization

Agency Contact Name and Information:
Cally Gilliland, cally.gillilando.gov

Unposting Date:
Feb 8, 2026, 11:59:00 PM

Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility, 640 Island Road, Circleville, 43113

United States of America-OHIO-Pickaway County-Circleville

Compensation: $21.93 - $25.77

Full-time

Union: OCSEA

Therapy/Therapeutical Services

Technical

Skills:

Juvenile Corrections

Professional

Skills:

Coaching, Motivating Others, Teamwork

JOIN OUR TEAM! CHANGE LIVES WHILE BUILDING YOUR CAREER!

We are transforming and saving lives at DYS!

A safer Ohio: one youth, one family and one community at a time.

About Us…

Our mission at the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) is to improve Ohio's future by habilitating youth and empowering families and communities. We believe that all youth will be given an opportunity to live up to their greatest potential and staff are our greatest resource.

DYS is the juvenile corrections system for the state of Ohio. DYS is statutorily mandated to confine felony offenders, ages 10-21, who have been adjudicated and committed by one of Ohio's 88 county juvenile courts. During their stay with DYS, youth are engaged in programming that is designed to address their criminological and behavioral needs. DYS reaches thousands of youth in facilities and those on parole.

Our Guiding Principles…

• Demonstrate staff are our greatest resource
• Treat everyone with respect
• Cultivate a trauma responsive environment for staff and youth to thrive
• Provide the best support and services for youth and families
• Advance our culture of inclusion through understanding and appreciating staff and youth differences
• Commit to and encourage collaboration and continuous improvement to produce better outcomes for those we serve
• Celebrate collective successes and support one another through opportunities to improve

To learn more about DYS, please visit our website by clicking here.

What You'll Do:

DYS is seeking a General Activities Therapist 2 to join our diverse team. This person will plan, organize and conduct activity programs. The ideal candidate will be a strong leader with a solid background and a passion to help youth.

Specifically, the General Activities Therapist 2 will:

• Work under direction from the Activity Therapy Supervisor for the Ohio Department of Youth Services Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility to plan, organize, conduct and ensure implementation of clinical adjunctive therapy program/services for youth assigned to residential treatment units.
• Organize and conduct individual and/or group recreational and activity therapy activities (e.g., individual and/or team sports, arts & crafts, music, drama, physical fitness and/or community service functions).
• Plan and instruct youth in a variety of leisure and therapeutic activities designed to expand knowledge, skills and fitness level; participate in weekly treatment team meetings to provide updates on youth recreation participation and progress; prepare reports and/or progress notes for inclusion in youth records; review youth physical fitness assessments to prepare individualized activity therapy programs; develop and coordinate community service projects;
  
  maintain community contact via church groups, volunteer opportunities and/or civic organizations to augment and support community service projects; supervise youth workers assigned to the work area.
• Maintain recreations equipment and/or areas: neatness, orderliness and accurate inventory of supplies and/or equipment; ensure safety measures are applied to all activities and/or use and storage of equipment; serve as official for all group activities performed by the youth.
• Transport youth to off grounds activities; coordinate activities for youth with other agencies and/or DYS departments.
• Perform other duties as assigned (e.g., participate in organized functions within facility and DYS, attend meetings, seminars and/or trainings related to area of expertise).

At the State of Ohio, we take care of the team that cares for Ohioans. We provide a variety of quality, competitive benefits to eligible full-time and part-time employees. For a list of all the State of Ohio Benefits, visit our Total Rewards website. Our benefits package includes:

• Medical Coverage
• Free Dental, Vision and Basic Life Insurance premiums after completion of eligibility period
• Paid time off, including vacation, personal, sick leave and 11 paid holidays per year
• Childbirth, Adoption, and Foster Care leave
• Education and Development Opportunities (Employee Development Funds, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and more)
• Public Retirement Systems (such as OPERS, STRS, SERS, and HPRS) and Optional Deferred Compensation (Ohio Deferred Compensation)

* Benefits eligibility is dependent on a number of factors. The Agency Contact listed above will be able to provide specific benefits information for this position.

30 months of…