People
Staff
- Mary Ann Finch, MA, CMT (founder, director and practitioner)
- Pamela Magers, PhD, CMT (administrator and practitioner)
Practitioners
Anyone who has gone through one or more of CTI’s trainings is invited to serve in the Tenderloin Community by providing massage and compassionate presence. Most of our practitioners are volunteers, although some receive a small stipend.
Collaborations
CTI has developed intimate partnerships with many agencies in the Tenderloin Community and surrounding neighborhoods including Central City Hospitality House (CCHH), St. Francis Senior Living Room, St. Boniface Neighborhood Center and San Francisco General Hospital. These and other agencies offer physical space for CTI practitioners to work and encourage their constituents to participate in CTI’s programs.
Massage Recipients
Feeling one’s heart being “broken open” is no small miracle when everything about poverty and homelessness causes one to guard not only her possessions, but also her human capacity for love.
One client at one of San Francisco’s healthcare clinics for homeless people came for a massage because she had fallen and hurt herself. The doctor gave her some pills and arranged for a cab to take her home. She said to the doctor, “That’s not what I need. I need someone to touch me where I hurt….” The doctor ushered her to the CTI practitioner working in the clinic. When the massage was over the woman said to her, “You didn’t give me pills. You touched me where it hurts, and it feels better. That’s good medicine.”
One day each week we provide massage to homeless women who have breast-cancer. As one woman took of her wig and settled upon the table, she reached her hand out to the practitioner and said, “You make me feel beautiful. How do you do that?” “We do it together,” the practitioner replied, “You are beautiful, my hands just warm mirrors, helping your body remember what she looks like….” The recovery of hope, one touch at a time. This is our call.
- Residents of Tenderloin Community
- Vietnam Veterans
- Recent Immigrants
- Seniors
- People Suffering from Mental and Addictive Illness
- Sex Workers
- People with HIV/AIDS
- Women and Children
- Women who work on the streets
- Women and Children who are Victims of Domestic Violence
- Agency Staff
Board of Directors
CTI’s Board Members serve to support and guide CTI in fulfilling its mission and commitment to the community.
To speak with a member of CTI’s staff, a current practitioner, CTI alumni, or a member of the empowerment program, please call!
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