Education
BS in Education, Elizabethtown College;
MS in Therapeutic Recreation/Adapted Physical Education/Special Education, U. of Oregon;
Ed.D. in Education, Boston U.
Scholarly Contributions
Contributions have focused on adventure programming, cooperative activities/initiatives, curriculum development, assessment tools and leisure education. Extensive involvement in the various TR/RT symposia, including keynotes at the Mideast, New England, and Southeast gatherings.
Assessment tools- the Cooperation and Trust Scale, Measurement of Social Empowerment and Trust, and the Well-Being Index have been utilized in a variety of practice and research contexts.
Featured Publications
Witman, J., Jacob, S., Anderson, L., Heyne, L. & Malcarne, B. (2014). The well-being index (WBI): A pilot project. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 48 (2), 188-198.
Witman, J. & Ligon, M. (2011) Reflection recognition reaffirmation: An engaging frame of reference for leisure education (2d Ed.). Idyll Arbor.
Witman, J.P. (2008). Taking the initiative. Sagamore Venture.
Leadership & Professional Service
Service as President of the National Therapeutic Recreation Society and both the Pennsylvania and New Hampshire Therapeutic Recreation Societies. Chaired a variety of committees and task forces. Currently a Trustee with the People, Parks and Community Foundation. Served as Editor of the ATRA Annual and as Guest Editor for special issues of the Therapeutic Recreation Journal.
At Hampstead Hospital, part of the interdisciplinary team which established one of the first brief treatment units in New England. At Philhaven Behavioral Health, part of the Adventure Challenge Experience, a seminal program effort in behavioral health treatment and team-building.
Professional Awards & Recognition
Received the Distinguished Fellow Award and the Scholarly Achievement Award from the American Therapeutic Recreation Association and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Therapeutic Recreation Society. Also received the Fred Combs Award, the highest honor of the PA Recreation and Parks Society and the Ann James Award for the outstanding session at the Southeast Symposium .