Cynthia Carruthers, Ph.D., CTRS Associate Professor
Recreation and Sport Management Department
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
4505 Maryland Parkway, Box 453035
Las Vegas, NV 89154-3035
Educational Background Ph.D., 1991, Department of Leisure
Studies University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign Dissertation Title: Alcohol
expectancies in leisure
M.S. in Leisure Behavior, Therapeutic Recreation Option, 1983,
Department of Leisure Studies University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign Thesis Title: The effect of
leisure education on the leisure attitudes of college students
Bachelor of Science, Therapeutic Recreation Option, 1982, Department of
Leisure Studies University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Research
and Professional Interests My
scholarship focuses on the relationship between leisure and well-being.
Specifically, I am interested in the ways in which leisure can
contribute to the development of the personal and environmental
resources that facilitate positive emotion, personal growth, and a
meaningful life. I am particularly interested in understanding the
nature of these relationships for people with disabilities, youth, and
aging populations. Professionally, I have experience as a therapeutic
recreation specialist in behavioral health care and in long term care
facilities. I am also a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor and
served as the coordinator of counselors on an addictive diseases unit.
Selected
Conference Presentations
Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2007). Leisure and Well-Being Model:
Making it real. Annual American Therapeutic Recreation Conference,
Milwaukee, WI.
Boo, S., Carruthers, C., & Busser, J. (2007). An application of a
career decision model to undergraduates majoring in hospitality. 2007
EuroChrie Conference, Leeds, England.
Pace, D., Bungum, T., Carruthers, C., Chien, T., Clayton, A., Kim, Y.,
McCool, A., Michelman, M., Myung, E. (2007). The race is on: A
collaborative effort to decrease obesity in the Las Vegas Valley.
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD), Baltimore, MD.
Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2007). Keynote address. The power of
the positive: Leisure and the good life. Annual New York State
Therapeutic Recreation Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY (invited).
Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2007). The Leisure and Well-Being Model
of therapeutic recreation practice. Annual New York State Therapeutic
Recreation Conference, Saratoga Springs, NY (invited).
Hood, C. & Carruthers, C. (2007). Enhancing the quality of the
leisure experience: A value-added approach for therapeutic recreation
practice. Annual New York State Therapeutic Recreation Conference,
Saratoga Springs, NY (invited).
Hood, C., & Carruthers, C. (2006). The Leisure and Well-being Model
of therapeutic recreation practice. Therapeutic Recreation Ontario
Annual Conference, Ontario, Canada (invited).
Hood, C., & Carruthers, C. (2006). Using the Leisure and Well-being
Model in therapeutic recreation practice. Therapeutic Recreation
Ontario Annual Conference, Ontario, Canada (invited).
Hood, C., & Carruthers, C. (2006). The Leisure and Well-Being
Model: A resource development framework for TR services (6 hour
intensive). Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association Annual
Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2006). Leisure and Well-Being Model:
Moving beyond surviving to thriving. Annual American Therapeutic
Recreation Conference, Orlando, FL.
Pace, D., Carruthers, C., Clayton, A., & Cain, C. (November, 2006).
Professional golf management as a tool for positive youth development.
International Conference on Sport and Entertainment Business, Columbia,
South Carolina.
Bruno, S., Busser, J., Carruthers, C., & Pace, D. (November, 2006).
Playing the game: The role of sport attributes in destination image
formation. Sport
Marketing Association Conference, Denver, CO.
Selected
Publications
Daud, R., & Carruthers, C. (accepted). Outcome study of an
after-school program for youth in a high risk environment, Journal of
Park and Recreation Administration.
Carruthers, C., & Hood, C. (2007). Building a life of meaning
through therapeutic recreation: The Leisure and Well-Being Model, Part
1. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 41, 276-297.
Hood, C., & Carruthers, C. (2007). Enhancing leisure
experience and developing resources: The Leisure and Well-Being Model,
Part II. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 41, 298-325.
Young, C., Shinnar, R., Ackerman, B., Carruthers, C., & Young, D.
(2007). Implementing and sustaining service-learning at the
institutional level. Journal of Experiential Education, 29,
344-366.
Carruthers, C., Platz, L., & Busser, J. (2006). Gambling motivation
of individuals who gamble pathologically. Therapeutic Recreation
Journal, 40, 165-181.
Carruthers, C. (2006). Processes and outcomes of an after-school
program for adolescent girls. Journal of Park and Recreation
Administration, 24, 127-152.
Courses for
the Spring 2008 Semester
RLS
100: Social Psychology of Leisure Behavior RLS 390X: Recreation and Youth
Development
