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Healing Touch Therapy
Ready to learn about healing touch massage?
One of the energy-based healing modalities, healing touch therapy is gentle and nurturing, and takes place without invasive procedures, medications or equipment.
The practitioner simply places his or her hands lightly on or just above the individual. The techniques taught in healing touch school enable the practitioner to affect the client’s energy field, encouraging physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.
In this way, healing touch practitioners work together with clients to facilitate their natural ability to heal.
Career Overview
The techniques of healing touch therapy are not just taught in healing touch schools but also in universities, medical schools, nursing programs, and massage therapy schools.
During a session, clients lie on a massage table fully clothed. The practitioner then uses gentle touch or off-body touch (no direct contact) to manipulate and balance the client’s energy field, often resulting in feelings of deep relaxation and peacefulness.
Sessions usually last 40 to 60 minutes. Healing touch massage is used in stress and pain management, recovery from surgery, cancer care, and other acute and chronic conditions.
Training and Education
Healing touch programs are usually aimed at practitioners in a particular field such as health care or bodywork.
What You’ll Study in Healing Touch School
At a healing touch school, you’ll study the body’s energy system and how it relates to health, as well as learning specific techniques of healing touch.
More advanced coursework will also address issues of ethics and professional practice. Some programs may include instruction in related modalities such as Reiki healing touch.
Average Length of Study
A basic course in healing touch therapy takes approximately 16 to 18 hours of study. To become a certified practitioner, you’ll need to complete 5 levels of instruction, which generally requires 100 or more hours of coursework at a healing touch school.
Average Healing Touch Therapy Tuition
A complete practitioner training program in healing touch usually costs between $1200 and $1500, not counting certification fees. Individual courses cost $200 to $500.
Healing Touch Certification
Certification in healing touch therapy is offered by professional organizations such as the Healing Touch Program, whose curriculum leads to certification as a Healing Touch Practitioner (HTP); and Healing Beyond Borders, a nonprofit organization that grants certification as a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner (CHTP).
Both certification programs are endorsed by the American Holistic Nurses Association and the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Career Outlook
Graduates of healing touch schools can expect a positive career outlook, particularly in the fields of massage therapy, nursing, and medicine. According to WebMD, Americans are continuing to turn to complementary and alternative medicine.
And CNN reports that about a third of us are now using alternative methods to supplement the care we get from our doctors. So opportunities should be good for practitioners of healing touch therapy.
Healing Touch Salary
Since graduates of healing touch school come from a range of career fields, earnings for healing touch practitioners can vary widely.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaries may vary greatly based on specialization within the field, location, years of experience and a variety of other factors. Per-session earnings for energy healers can be as high as $100.
Is a Healing Touch Career Right for You?
Healing touch therapy practitioners are devoted to helping patients muster their own positive energy toward the process of healing.
They are caring, patient and sensitive to the client’s physical and emotional situation, whether they work in a hospital or a health spa.
Healing touch school can enhance the career of health care and bodywork professionals who would like to incorporate additional healing techniques into their repertoire that do not rely on invasive procedures or drug-based treatments.
Sources: AHNA Endorsed Programs, Healing Touch International, Inc., Healing Touch Program, An Introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, www.webmd.com/news/20110201/complementary-and-alternative-medicine-on-the-rise