About Us
The Story Behind "Flourish" & the Dandelion
Flourish Recreational Therapy Consultants is owned and operated by Heather Silander, Ed.D., CTRS. Heather has been a Recreation Therapist since 2004. She has 19 years of experience in administration, development, implementation, and evaluation of community based therapeutic recreation programs, and community outreach; eleven years of developing and implementing undergraduate courses, and mentoring undergraduate students in Recreation, Sport Management and Recreation Therapy. She has presented at numerous national, regional and state conferences on topics related to recreational therapy, parks and recreation, staff management, inclusive recreation and disability. Heather has provided consulting services on the side to various organizations including park districts, university recreation centers and small community recreation centers. She has a passion for helping others and has a strong interest in sense of belonging and community.
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What is behind our name and logo:
In recreation therapy, there are many models that guide our practice, and a favorite of Heather's is the Flourishing Through Leisure Model. This model uses a strength-based approach and puts the individual, their strengths and their environment at the center when developing interventions while enhancing the individual's leisure lifestyle (Anderson & Heyne, 2012). The idea is the person flourishes through leisure while focuses on each of the domains: social, cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual.
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A dandelion was chose for the logo as the dandelion represents growth and flourishing. While some may see a weed, in some cultures, the dandelion represents resilience, growth and hope.
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Services:
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Staff training (behavior management, inclusive programming, team-building, etc.)
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Consultation (assessments, programming, inclusive recreation, policy/procedure, etc.)
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Recreation therapy sessions based on individual or group needs and goals. (group sessions for example could be done in a K-12 setting focusing on social-emotional learning).
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About Me
Heather Silander, Ed.D., CTRS
My name is Heather Silander (Sigh-lander) and I have been a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist for almost 20 years and I can't think of another field I'd rather be in. I'm passionate about educating others about inclusive recreation, disability, accessibility and the importance of leisure and recreation.
​I earned my Doctorate in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from Aurora University, my Masters in Recreation Administration from Aurora University and a Bachelors of Science in Recreation with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation from Southeast Missouri State University.
Before I became a professor, I spent my time as a practitioner in the community setting working with individuals with a variety of disabilities, mostly children with developmental disabilities, and behavioral and conduct disorders.​
In 2018, I moved to Michigan to begin my position as an Assistant Professor in Therapeutic Recreation at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI where my family and I reside. In my free time, I enjoy spending time in nature with my dogs, gardening, and try out new recipes.
Let’s Flourish Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.