Healing Touch is practiced, governed and promoted using the highest professional standards.

The Healing Touch Program Code of Ethics and the Scope of Practice are two documents that are essential to the foundation, integrity and practice of Healing Touch. Healing Touch Program instructors, practitioners and students uphold the core concepts and values of Healing Touch through adhering to the principles and guidelines outlined in these documents. 

The Ethics Committee is the guardian of the Code of Ethics and Statement of Scope of Practice.  The fundamental values of the Ethics Committee are quality, integrity, compassion, collaboration and commitment.

The Healing Touch Program Code of Ethics expresses clear guidelines for the teaching and practice of Healing Touch. In so doing, the Code exemplifies the ethical standards that are necessary to underpin Healing Touch practice and promote professional ideals, aspirations and a sense of safety and trusteeship for society. 

The Healing Touch Program Scope of Practice defines the levels of Healing Touch practice, and outlines how Healing Touch providers may refer to themselves, how they can practice and what they must be mindful of when practicing.

Download the Healing Touch Program Code of Ethics.

Download the Healing Touch Program Scope of Practice.

Let us help you introduce Healing Touch in your facility. We offer an interactive presentation on Healing Touch that explains Healing Touch and the benefits it provides your patients, staff and facility. It can be tailored to administrators or direct care staff.

We offer 1, 2 or 3 continuing education hours to nurses through the American Nurses Credential Center (ANCC). Time is dedicated to experiential exercises that allow attendees work together in pairs and practice exchanging Healing Touch interventions.

This is an excellent way to increase awareness of Healing Touch and to promote its use in your facility.

Download the Healing Touch Introductions Flyer.

Contact the ICP today to schedule a Healing Touch Introduction, or for more information.

Presenters Who Would Like to Provide a Presentation

Healing Touch Level 4 Practitioner Apprentices or above may present the Integrative Care Program Healing Touch Introduction. Information is available on the http://hticp.com/presenters page.

Professional marketing flyers are now available in PDF format to download and print or email.

Healing Touch Integrative Care Program flyer - Provides information on the ICP (1 page).

Healing Touch flyer - Provides information on Healing Touch in healthcare (1 page).

ICP Healing Touch Level 1 Class Datasheet - Provides information on the ICP Healing Touch Level 1 class (1 page).

Healing Touch Classes flyer - Provides information on Healing Touch core curriculum classes and certification (4 pages).

ICP Healing Touch Introductions flyer - Provides information on Healing Touch Introduction presentations (1 page).

Healing Touch Integrative Care Manual Datasheet - Information on the HTICP Manual (2 pages).

In 2009, a partnership between holistic nurses and chaplains at Cleveland Clinic led to the first Code Lavender initiative. This program provides holistic rapid response care for caregivers. Healing Touch is one of the holistic modalities offered.

Click here to read the full article on the Cleveland Clinic Consult QD website.

These three posters about Healing Touch with veterans have been presented at Healing Touch Program conferences and are available to download. Click on the poster to download it.

Seeding Healing Touch in VISN 12

Overview: The VA Great Lakes Health Care System (VISN 12), a group of seven VA medical centers and over thirty VA clinics, is dedicated to providing a comprehensive health care package to America’s veterans.  VA Great Lakes serves veterans who reside in northwestern Indiana, northern Illinois, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Three medical centers in VISN 12 have been actively seeding Healing Touch (HT): Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. In 2011 the first Healing Touch classes were taught at Hines VA Hospital and three Hines employees have completed Level 4 and are working on Level 5. As of 2014 17 HT classes have been taught at Hines, 5 HT classes have been taught at Zablocki and 12 at Jesse Brown. Students who have taken these classes are actively offering Healing Touch to Veterans through pain clinics, fairs, Stand Downs and in a variety of other ways.

This poster was presented at the 2014 Healing Touch Program Worldwide Conference in Chicago, IL. Created by Walle Adams-Gerdts, RN, BA, HTCP/I and Paula Kanter Goldman, RN, BSN, HTP, it documents the referral process used at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hosptial for Children, Wilmington, DE.

By Walle Adams-Gerdts, RN, BA, CHt, HTCP/I

In 2008, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE started the journey to become an innovative leader in pediatric healthcare institutions, establishing the first Healing Touch Program and staff position in the tri-state area of DE, PA, and MD. The part-time position afforded the Healing Touch Certified Practitioner (HTCP) sixteen hours per week to provide Healing Touch to recommended patients and their caregivers.

Education of medical and support staff was a key step and accomplished through presentations offered at noon rounds, department meetings, local area and hospital conferences and unit offered experiential activities. The HTCP was also employed as a direct care nurse on the bone and blood marrow transplant unit, allowing the opportunity to work directly with staff, attending physicians, and residents to raise awareness of the therapy.

In September 2012 a study published in Military Medicine compared the impact of Healing Touch and Guided Imagery plus treatment as usual in the study group (HT + GI + TAU) to treatment as usual only (TAU) in the control group on PTS symptoms, depression, quality of life and hostility in active duty military personnel. The group of 123 participants were randomly assigned to receive either 6 sessions of HT + GI + TAU over 3 weeks vs. TAU over 3 weeks. Statistical analyses (repeated measures analysis of covariance with intent-to-treat) revealed statistically and clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms (p < 0.0005, Cohen’s d = 0.85) as well as depression (p < 0.0005, Cohen’s d = 0.70) for the group receiving HT+GI vs. TAU. This same group also showed significant improvements in mental quality of life (p = 0.002, Cohen’s d = 0.58) and reduced cynicism (p = 0.001, Cohen’s d =0.49) vs. TAU group.

This well conducted study supports the use of Healing Touch in the care of military personnel with PTS. Further study is warranted.

Healing Touch with guided imagery for PTSD in returning active duty military: A randomized controlled trial. Military Medicine, 177 (9), 1015-1021, T Jain, S., McMahon, G.F. , Hasen, P., Kozub, M.P., Porter, V., King, R. & Guarneri, E.M. (2012).

View the full article.

When implementing Healing Touch to use for patient care, the facility will want to establish policy and procedure guidelines. This sample Policy and Procedure document was taken from the Healing Touch Integrative Care Program: Integrating Healing Touch in the Clinic Setting manual.

Sample Healing Touch Policy and Procedure

The Healing Touch Integrative Care Program: Integrating Healing Touch in the Clinical Setting manual provides the structure for implementing Healing Touch that includes useful tools to assist with each step in the process.

Co-authored by Dr. Lourdes Lorenz, DHA-abd, MSN-IH, RN, AHN-BC, NEA-BC, and Healing Touch Program, this comprehensive guide provides structure, process and digital tools for implementing an integrative care program in your facility.

The complete package includes:

• Manual: 350 pages
• USB flash drive with 100 digital tools that can be customized (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx files)
• Healing Touch Scope and Standards of Practice booklet
• Brochures: Practitioner Brochure, Healing Touch Program Brochure, Introduction Booklet - What is Healing Touch?

Download the datasheet for more information. HTICP Manual DataSheet.pdf

The manual is available on the Healing Touch Store website at https://healing-touch-program-official-store.myshopify.com/collections/healing-touch-tools/products/healing-touch-integrative-care-program.

There is quantitative and qualitative research, anecdotal support and pilot studies that support the use of Healing Touch in the clinical setting. Information on Healing Touch research can be found at www.HealingTouchResearch.com.

This document lists Healing Touch supportive research, studies and articles: Healing_Touch_Research.pdf

Healing Touch is used in hospitals, VA medical centers, hospices and in other healthcare settings. This document lists of some of the healthcare facilities that use Healing Touch, and also facilities that have trained nurses in Healing Touch.

Facilities Using Healing Touch

In July of 2015, the Healing Touch Professional Association Insurance Initiative Committee conducted a Healthcare Survey of Healing Touch being used in healthcare facilities. The survey was created in conjunction with the Healing Touch Professional Association and Healing Touch Program. The results of this survey provided data to aid the Healing Touch Insurance Initiative in their endeavor to obtain insurance billing codes to allow reimbursement for Healing Touch.

The report is a summary of the data collected. 

Download the report.

The Healing Touch Self Chakra Connection technique is a valuable self-care method that can be used to balance energy flow and create a sense of peace and calm. Download the instructions here.

Self Chakra Connection Chart