In April of this year, Healing Touch Certification (HTC) replaced the certification packets for the Practitioner Certification, Practitioner Certification Renewal and the Instructor Renewal. On June 17, 2012 a letter was sent to all Level 4/5 students, program graduates and HTCPs outlining the significant changes in the packets and other certification news. 

The new packets have been posted to the certification website. We recommend that if you are working toward certification, or getting ready to renew your certification, visit the certification website and download the new packet.

Important Notes:  

• The Retired Practitioner Certification Application packet will be accepted through the August 1st practitioner certification application deadlines. The new packet must be used for all packets beginning at the November 1st deadline.
• The Retired Practitioner Renewal Application Packet will be accepted through August 1, 2012. This packet is no longer available for download on the certification website.
• The Retired Instructor Renewal Application Packet will be accepted through July 1, 2012. This packet is no longer available for download on the certification website.
• No changes were made to the Instructor Certification Packet.

If you have questions, please check the certification website first. If you don't find the answer to your question, please email [email protected]. 

In January, 2012, HTP applied for the Innovation Challenge Grant with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center.  

CMS presented a funding opportunity for organizations to submit projects to meet the  Center's mission of better health care, better health and lower costs through improvement. The HTP grant proposal was to implement Healing Touch in 15 hospitals across the U.S. by establishing a project implementation team and training the nursing staff in one department, building a sustainable program that could be implemented throughout the hospital.

HTP recently received word that the grant would not be funded. While it was disappointing to receive this news, the feedback from CMS was very positive. CMS reported that the project was well designed to meet the goals, and the benefits Healing Touch offers were recognized as strengths. CMS felt that the benefits to hospitals were significant enough that the hospital should be willing to pay for the implementation of Healing Touch without the aid of CMS funding.

The time and effort spent on the grant provided HTP with much valuable information and research data on documented benefits of how Healing Touch improves patient care, staff satisfaction and cost savings. This information will be beneficial in numerous ways and will support HTP in our committed to continue bringing Healing Touch to hospitals and health care facilities nationwide.

Tina Devoe is working on three different photo projects for conference that will be part of the conference ambiance and atmosphere! We would love to include yours! As soon as possible, please attach jpg format photos for any of the following to an email and send to Tina at [email protected].  

1. Photo by Cathy Andersen

   To honor the members of the Healing Touch Community that have passed - please send any photos that reflect the beauty of those who have shared their hearts and unique gifts in our Healing Touch Community. 
2. Photos that express "the joy of being pinned" to reflect how we all honor our moments together celebrating the accomplishments of the HT Journey!     
3. Any photos that symbolize for you the idea of healing, wellness, joy or all three combined.

The Annual HTPA Membership Meeting took place on June 21, 2012. For the 2nd year we held the meeting virtually to give as many of our worldwide members as possible the opportunity to join in the meeting "live" from the comfort of their own home. No cost to travel out of town. The meeting received many compliments for all the information that was shared both about what HTPA has accomplished as we enter into our 5th growth year and for what HTPA has on its agenda for the next year and beyond. We rolled out our launch of Community Connections which is the Volunteer Service avenue for the Healing Touch Community.   

Click here to visit the Community Connections website.  

Click here to listen to the meeting.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012 ~ 9:00 PM Eastern

Growing Your Private Practice - What's Working, What's Not

Open Discussion with Small Business Owners

Moderated by Sharon Robbins, HTPA Executive Director

Sharon Robbins

It's been one year since we had a "Live" Business Support Call devoted to sharing what is working (or not working) to grow Private Practice Businesses. The time feels right to have another OPEN discussion now. Although many are experiencing successes, others are stuck and frustrated. Let's come together to share your experience and help each other grow to the next level.

Since September 2009, HTPA has conducted Monthly Business Support "Live" Interviews with many experienced business owners and financial coaches. Several training webinars and workshops have also been offered that focus on business creation, expansion and growth. Both the interviews and trainings have received very positive acknowledgements and great attendance. Now we would like to discuss what's working to make your business practice a success so that others who aspire to create successful private practice businesses can benefit.

For quite sometime we have been using the term "making a living." For some that is easy because they have other financial support and are not looking for full-time income. But for others "making a living" means high into five figures or even six figures. We should ALL be able to earn what we need to accomplish our goals in life. It may be just a common sense tip that will help you achieve your financial goal(s). This call could bring you that and more.

HTPA's goal is to help everyone who would like to develop any size practice, even if your goal is to develop a small client base or if you would like to offer volunteer services. Business principles apply no matter what your private practice goals are.

Join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion full of practical tips and resources. Click here to register. 

By Jean S. Pruett, D.Min, LPC, NCC, FBPPC, HTCP/I

Bonnie Kelley Morrow, Monica Nebauer,Ann Cathcart, Roberta Davis Lewis

What an exciting time for Healing Touch Program - and I am so blessed to be a part of it! At a recent Spiritual Retreat for HTP Instructors and Practitioners, held at historical Shadow Cliff at Grand Lake, CO, another historic event occurred. Forty-six of us were privileged to be part of a research study entitled Experiences of Spirituality by Healing Touch Practitioners.

The Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Monica Nebauer, RN, PhD, who is associated with the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine at Australian Catholic University in Banyo, Australia. Our very active and supportive Healing Touch Worldwide Foundation awarded Dr. Nebauer a $5,000 grant to conduct the study. We all got to celebrate this together which added to the joy of being able to actually participate in the study.  Read more. 

Katrina Shibata & Rumi Hashimoto

By Katrina Shibata, MPH, CHES, HTPA

Sponsored by the Japanese Red Cross Hiroshima College of Nursing and the Watson Caring Science Institute, Healing Touch Program participated in a historic 2-day international conference which brought together over 500 nurses from around the world.

Rumi Hashimoto, MSN, RN, HTCP/I and Katrina Shibata, MPH, CHES, HT Practitioner/Apprentice, represented HTP at the International Caring and Peace Conference on March 24-25, 2012, in Hiroshima, Japan. Dr. Jean Watson, founder of the Watson Caring Science Institute, served as Honorary Chair and keynote speaker. 

"We were honored to share the work of Healing Touch in Hiroshima, Japan.  The continued support and endorsement Healing Touch Program has received from Dr. Watson as a heart-centered therapy aligned with her well-known Caring Theory, provided a wonderful opportunity for us to share this work with the international nursing community," said Rumi Hashimoto, MSN, RN, HTCP/I, Instructor, Healing Touch Japan. Read more.� 

By Deb Klueter, RN, HNB-BC, HTCP 

Deb Klueter

Local "Seed Planters" grow energetically exponentially at a recent Healing Touch Program Healing Touch Presentations class in the Midwest Metro St. Louis Region!

On a beautiful sunny Saturday morning on March 25, 2012, a group of 15 HTP Healing Touch kindred spirits gathered from Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma in Edwardsville, Illinois, for a one day Healing Touch Presentations class. It was a day of experiential learning, provided by Lauri Pointer, HTCP/I, from Colorado, to gain further knowledge and skills on how to bring an Introduction to Healing Touch to any opportunity that crosses our path, an opportunity to build community and expand our networking outreach. The group picture features the students who gathered, graciously taken by Dave, the husband of student Jean Whittaker.

As the class coordinator, the journey began to solidify in early March after talking by phone with Lauri to discuss class needs and plans, including local issues we hoped to address. The results of this proved amazing and filled with opportunities to stretch, grow, and manifest this class, new clients, and students for an upcoming Level 1 class, including experiencing synchronicities that created a smile on my face and joy in my heart. Read more. 

Carole Ann Sarian

By Carole Ann Sarian, B. Ed., HTCP; HHP, NCTMB

Wearing their white Healing Touch aprons, San Diego's Healing Touch volunteers will be easily identifiable as they Step Up to serve at the annual San Diego Stand Down. And there's going to be a lot of them, as the number of HT volunteers this year is "unprecedented," according to Mitch Lehman, Volunteer Coordinator of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Tent. With over fifty names having been submitted, Healing Touch will be providing more trained volunteer healers than any other organization.

Healing Touch has been serving every year at San Diego's Stand Down from the beginning, thanks to the efforts of Joan Tweed, HHP who first opened that proverbial door when she schlepped a couple of massage tables and a beach tent to the event and began offering Healing Touch in 1988. Joan served as the HT volunteer coordinator for three years, then passed the baton onto Victoria Lea, who after many years of service, passed it onto Amielle Moyer, who after a handful of years, passed it onto me. I've been carrying the baton for the past six years. However, based on feed-back from last year's event, it was clear that our involvement at Stand Down had grown to the point where a whole team of baton carriers were needed.  Read more. 

The Healing Touch Community wishes to congratulate and honor the following individuals who achieved certification this year from January through June.

Karen Wood , Karen Chin, Norma Bettess, Pat Yetman

Healing Touch Certified Practitioners

Amanda Peterson, Anita Groeschke, Anne McFeely , Barbara Kramer, Bethlyn Gerard, Carmen Ballard, Carol Orrell, Catherine Borysewicz, Cheryl Massena, Christine Kaufman, Clara Boyle, Darrell Wright, Deana Downs, Deanna Watson, Debra Rodriguez, Diane Davis, Dionne Bloomfield, Dru McCutchen-Hotz, Elaine Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Wilde, Jane Frye, Jean Wilhoite, Jennell Wright, Jennifer Groot, Jill Kanwischer, JoAnn DeLa Garza, Johanna Keefe, Jonna Climie, Julie Weaver, Karen Burnette, Karen Hollifield, Kathleen Burkard, Kathryn Moehling, Kathryn Crago, Kathy Bryson, Kathy Welhouse, Kathy Stubbs, Kimberly Smith , Linda Cifelli, Linda Joy, Lisa Nelson, Lori-Ann Fisher, Marilyn Fearnley, Pascale Boule, Patricia Mglej, Roberta MacIvor, Ronya Banks, Sally Sellman, Samuel Dwyer, Sara Masters, Susan Romeo, Susan Vogel , Susan Johnson, Susan Schwabrow, Susan Hansen, Tammy Letherer, Tammy Nickel, Tammy Thomas-Olmstead, Teresa Luft, Trista Rucks, Ziraili Mohassan

Voice for HOPE, Healers of Planet Earth

Citizen Healer Training  ~  Freedom to Choose Your Path to Wellness

September 12-14, 2012

Meaningful participation in healthcare policy making by producers, practitioners and consumers of natural healing and wellness services and products. Be a VOICE for HOPE. Join at www.voiceforhope.org 

People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs is organizing a delegation of specialists in holistic health and healing traditions to travel to China in October 2012. Anyone involved in holistic medicine is encouraged to apply as a delegate.  

 Click here for more information or to enroll online. 

Dave Barnett

7-day Western Caribbean Cruise from New Orleans aboard the Carnival Conquest.

David Barnett, HTCP, is one of eight guest speakers on the Mystical Cruise 2013.  The cruise begins with two days at sea where you'll enjoy seminars/workshops of diverse "Mystical" themes. There will also be time available to schedule personal sessions.  

With Nina Lockwood, MSW, HTCP/I

3rd Sunday of each month at 8:30 pm, 30 minutes

(June 17, July 15, Aug 19, Sept 16, Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16)

To join in, call 605-475-4000 and enter the access code 224960#

For more information or to listen to recorded calls, visit Nina's website www.ninalockwood.com.

All great masters are constantly learning and adding to their knowledge. They never tire of learning more about their subject; this is why they are the masters. HTP continuously offers the opportunity to increase your knowledge of Healing Touch.