Who We Are and Association Bylaws

Who We Are

Position Statement

We, the Therapy Assistant Association of Alberta, promote the title of Therapy Assistant as opposed to Therapist Assistant.  Our professional training and experience provides us with the expertise to provide direct patient care in support of the process of therapy, as opposed to being an assistant to the therapist.”

Therapy Assistants work in a variety of settings.

Speech-Language Pathologist Therapy Assistants (SLPA) work mostly with children in the school system. Some SLP Assistants also work in private practice or with adults in hospitals, long term care centers and in the community .

Physical Therapy Assistants (PTA) and Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA) may work in hospitals, long term care centers, private practice, clinics, home care and schools.

Recreation Therapy Assistants(RTA) work mainly with adults in long term care or supported living centers or in community settings.

Scroll down until you see the correct profile you want and click:

Most employers now require a Therapy/Rehabilitation Assistant diploma from a post secondary institution.

If you are considering becoming a Therapy Assistant, there are four post-secondary institutions that offer Therapy Assistant diplomas in Alberta.

Note: ATRA (Alberta Therapeutic Recreation Association) is currently looking at becoming regulated and going thru the HPA (Health Professions Act) process. Once they become regulated then the role of the Therapy Assistant will be defined much more clearly.

ThAAA Bylaws can be accessed through this link: ThAAA Bylaws