Care That Honors the Whole Person
For people living with homelessness, chronic trauma, illness, or isolation, stress is not only an emotional experience. It can also be felt in the body through pain, exhaustion, tension, and difficulty feeling safe.
Care Through Touch Institute offers free, trauma-informed massage that creates space for physical relief, grounding, and human connection.
We bring our services directly into trusted community settings, making care accessible to people who might otherwise face signficant barriers to receiving it.
Our model of care
No-barrier access. Safe touch. Consistent presence.
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Free and accessible
CTI offers clothed chair massage without charge. Clients do not need an appointment, identification, or insurance to receive care.
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Trauma-informed practice
Our practitioners prioritize safety, consent, trust, and choice. Each client is treated as an individual, and every interaction follows the client's lead.
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Consistent weekly presence
We return to the same partner sites week after week. This consistency helps build familiarity, trust, and relationships over time.
Why touch matters
A moment to pause
Many people CTI serves face the daily strain of finding shelter, carrying their belongings, living with untreated injuries, navigating chronic illness, and managing the effects of prolonged stress and isolation.
A massage cannot resolve all these challenges. But it can offer a meaningful moment of care: a chance to rest, experience physical relief, and feel treated with dignity.
One CTI client described the experience this way:
“During the massage, I felt like I exist. I felt connected.”
For many people, safe and consensual touch can offer a rare experience of comfort and connection in a life shaped by uncertainty.
Care that supports other services
An Integrated Approach to Whole-Person Care
CTI works alongside organizations that provide medical care, behavioral health services, recovery support, meals, shelter, hospice, and housing assistance.
Our massage services complement these programs by addressing an often-overlooked part of wellbeing: the body's experience of pain, stress, and trauma.
When people feel more grounded and cared for, they may find it easier to connect with the other services and relationships that support stability and recovery. CTI is one part of a broader network of care.
Healing happens through consistency
Building Trust Through a Steady, Caring Presence
A single session can offer relief. Returning week after week creates the possibility of something more.
When practitioners return to familiar settings, clients can come to know the people offering care. Over time, these repeated interactions can create trust and a dependable point of connection.
This is the heart of CTI's model: not a one-time intervention, but a steady presence grounded in dignity, compassion, and respect.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Our practitioners prioritize safety, consent, choice, and trust. Clients are invited to guide the interaction and may decline or stop at any time. We aim to create a respectful experience without pressure or judgment.
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CTI serves people through its community partner sites, particularly individuals experiencing homelessness, marginal housing, poverty, illness, trauma, and isolation. Services are offered without charge. Check the schedule for details about each location.
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Sessions are generally about 15 minutes. The format may vary by site and program, so check the schedule for location-specific details.
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No identification, insurance, appointment, or payment is required. CTI's approach is designed to reduce barriers to care. Site-specific participation and safety guidelines may apply.
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CTI embeds free massage within community organizations and returns consistently to the same sites. This makes care more accessible and allows practitioners to build familiarity and trust with clients over time.
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CTI welcomes eligible massage therapists and students enrolled in CAMTC-approved programs. Applicants with other bodywork backgrounds or out-of-state licenses may be considered on a case-by-case basis.