Through our 15-year partnership with local hospitals in the Southern California area, it became clear to us that there was a need for non-pharmacological treatment strategies for those dealing with chronic pain.

Recognizing the importance of training massage therapists in pain and palliative care, Heart Touch has been collaborating with Pain and Palliative health care professionals since 2015 and designed one of the most comprehensive Pain and Palliative Care programs for the Massage Therapy field.

As of October, 30 2017, Heart Touch is proud to partner with The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). Under this new partnership, massage therapists become eligible for a Specialty Certificate in Pain and Palliative Care upon completion of the Heart Touch Pain and Palliative Care Massage Therapy Training Program and a passing score on the NCBTMB Specialty Exam. With this nationally-recognized credential from the profession's only certification board, therapists are empowered to provide these critical services to individuals in hospital and hospice settings.

In August of 2017, the Joint Commission published the R3 (Requirement, Rationale, Reference) Report detailing the need for hospitals to provide nonpharmacologic pain treatment modalities. Massage therapy being listed as a viable option. This report will go into effect January 2018.

The two hundred hour curriculum designed for massage therapists that want to work in the Pain and Palliative Medicine field. Our curriculum consists of 200 hours of didactic and clinical training.

The total cost of the program is $3424. The cost of the NCBTMB Specialty Exam is

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If you are a volunteer and are interested in becoming certified, know that you your trainings will count toward your certification.