Massage Therapy
CTI is accredited by the Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Vocational Education (BPPVE).
- CTI is an accredited school of massage therapy.
- Massage, or caring touch, is the heart and foundation of CTI’s history and mission:
- Massage is central to Stage I of our Empowerment Program for Homeless and Marginalized People
- Developing massage skills is a key element of our 9 month Massage and Social Justice Trainings
- Providing massage in public spaces and in collaboration with local agencies is one way CTI embodies social justice.
- We believe that caring touch is not just about physical touch, but about touching the deep spiritual and emotional needs of our communities, leading both the client and practitioner into spaces of trust, respect and responsibility.
At CTI, we train women and men in therapeutic touch skills and compassionate presence, focusing on the issues particular to homeless and marginalized people. Trainings include study and reflection in areas of social concerns, responsibility, action and transformation. Trained practitioners then take their new relationship-building skills into the community, and, finally, return to the center to record and reflect on their experiences.
Each practitioner commits to 3-10 hours of hands-on care per week, creating the consistency of care that builds trust and awakens dignity.
One homeless person described the effect of the care through touch work as a way of “breaking my heart open.” Without consistency, this type of “breakthough” is almost impossible in the hearts of people who have been consistently beaten down by both individuals and larger social systems. In this way, CTI’s activities through this program extend far beyond physical touch, into the realm of emotional and spiritual touch.
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