caring through touch: Meeting an Unmet Need
Care That Meets You Where You Are
Care Through Touch Institute is a leader in trauma-informed massage therapy, providing free, compassionate care through long-standing community partnerships across San Francisco.
With more than 40 years of experience, CTI advances healing, advocacy, and practitioner training for unhoused and marginalized communities.
What Trauma-Informed Means at CTI
Trauma lives in the body. For people impacted by homelessness, poverty, violence, illness, or systemic inequity, touch must be offered with care and choice.
At CTI, every session is grounded in consent, clear communication, and client control. Practitioners work slowly and attentively, creating safety so the nervous system can settle and the body can experience relief.
Massage is not a luxury. It is accessible, compassionate care.
Why It Matters
Many of the people we serve live with chronic pain, stress, and deep isolation. Trauma can make it difficult to rest, trust, or feel safe in one’s own body.
Even a brief 15-minute session can reduce pain, ease anxiety, improve sleep, and restore a sense of dignity and connection.
In communities where care is often fragmented or out of reach, consistent and respectful touch matters.
our model
CTI’s work is relationship-based and community-embedded. We bring care directly to shelters, clinics, drop-in centers, and housing programs—meeting people where they already receive support.
Practitioners often serve the same clients week after week, building trust over time.
Through direct service, advocacy, and specialized practitioner training, CTI ensures that healing touch is offered ethically, safely, and with deep respect.
Trauma-informed touch can reduce pain, ease anxiety, improve sleep, and help regulate the nervous system. Just as importantly, it restores dignity and connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Trauma-informed massage prioritizes safety, choice, and dignity. Our practitioners meet people exactly as they are, using slow, responsive touch, clear communication, and consistent boundaries to create a sense of calm and trust.
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CTI serves unhoused and marginalized populations, trauma survivors, older adults, and people living with chronic pain or isolation. We meet clients where they are—shelters, clinics, drop-in centers, transitional housing, and other community spaces.
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Sessions typically last about 15 minutes. This is enough time for the body to relax and experience relief while remaining accessible for people who may find stillness challenging due to trauma.
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No. All CTI services are free and offered with no barriers to care, ensuring accessibility for the people who need it most.
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CTI is the only organization in San Francisco—and one of very few nationally—providing consistent, free, trauma-informed massage through long-term community partnerships. Our approach emphasizes continuity, trust, advocacy, and practitioner training, not just a one-time session.
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Yes. All CTI practitioners begin as volunteers and receive specialized training in trauma-informed massage, social awareness, and presence. Volunteers provide hands-on care, gain practical experience, and contribute to meaningful relationships with clients and communities.