San Mateo County Health is seeking a qualified and compassionate Creative Arts and Recreation Therapist to develop, coordinate, and deliver evidence-based creative arts therapy services for patients across a variety of healthcare settings. This position provides therapeutic interventions that support patients' emotional, cognitive, physical, and social well-being through music and other creative arts modalities as part of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
The Creative Arts and Recreation Therapist will assess patient needs, develop individualized treatment plans, facilitate therapeutic group and individual sessions, and contribute to comprehensive patient care. This role serves diverse patient populations ranging from acute care, behavioral health, long-term care, and specialty treatment settings including inpatient and outpatient.
The current vacancy is a regular/full-time position.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of two years of experience providing music therapy, creative arts therapy, or recreation therapy services to individuals across the lifespan in healthcare or therapeutic settings. They will demonstrate the ability to assess patients’ physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral needs and to develop, implement, and evaluate individualized therapeutic treatment plans. Experience working across a range of environments, including acute care, behavioral health, psychiatric care, intensive care, and long-term care settings, is highly desirable.
The successful candidate will be skilled in facilitating both individual and group therapeutic interventions and will possess strong clinical judgment, assessment, documentation, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills. Experience working with individuals with dementia, cognitive impairments, or behavioral health challenges is strongly preferred.
Candidates must be eligible for certification, registration, or membership with a recognized professional association in Music Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, or Recreation Therapy. A master’s degree in Music Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, Recreation Therapy, or a closely related field is preferred. Certification as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) and other advanced specialty certifications are considered highly desirable.
NOTE: The eligible list generated from this recruitment may be used to fill future extra-help, term, unclassified, and regular classified vacancies.
Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
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Evaluate needs and interests of patients; define creative arts therapy goals; and plan individual therapy programs.
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Participate in multi-disciplinary meetings, case conferences and unit rounds to discuss patients' progress and coordinate creative arts therapy with other services.
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Supervise and conduct a variety of individual and group therapeutic activities.
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Lead adult therapy groups.
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Keep records and prepare reports.
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Order supplies and equipment.
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Supervise creative arts therapy interns.
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Perform related duties as assigned.
Knowledge of:
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Principles, procedures, techniques, trends and literature of rehabilitation services.
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Special techniques of creative arts therapies, including those relating to mental disabilities.
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Scope and activities of private and public health and welfare agencies.
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Characteristics of mental, emotional and developmental disorders.
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Current trends in mental health, public health, and public welfare.
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Federal and state programs in mental health, public health, and public welfare.
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Creative arts therapy materials, tools and processes used in providing therapy services to psychiatric, physically disabled and geriatric patients.
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Physical and psychological problems of geriatric, physically disabled, psychiatric and medical patients.
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Behavioral disorders and theories of group management.
Skill/Ability to:-
Establish and maintain the confidence and cooperation of persons in therapy.
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Secure accurate clinical data and record such data systematically.
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Work with patients with communications dysfunctions.
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Write clear, accurate and concise reports.
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Interpret statistical data.
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Supervise, instruct and lead creative arts therapy activities.
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Integrate creative arts therapy activities with other medical and institutional programs.
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Work effectively with volunteers.
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Discuss patient activities and create interest and support for them with members of the community.
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Work without close supervision.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
Option 1 Art: Eligibility for or registration with the American Art Therapy Association.
Option 2 Dance: Eligibility for or registration with the American Dance Therapy Association.
Option 3 Drama: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association for Drama Therapy.
Option 4 Music: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Music Therapy or equivalent professional organization.
Option 5 Recreation: Eligibility for or registration with the National Association of Therapeutic Recreation or California Therapeutic Recreation Society.
Experience (options 4 and 5): Two years of post-baccalaureate experience as a therapist.
Licensure/Certification:
Possession of a Certificate of completion for a course in Basic Life Support as approved by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association; or must be obtained within six months of appointment.
Special Requirements:
Individuals assigned to Canyon Oaks Youth Center, must have the ability to complete 40 hours of mandated training annually.
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, extra-help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.
The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: pass/fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification
. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the
"Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to
http://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026, by 11:59PM PST
Application Screening: Monday, August 31, 2026
Combined Panel/Departmental Interviews: Week of September 7, 2026
About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.
The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.
The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels.
