Originally published in Energy Magazine: The official Publication of the Healing Touch Program December 09′/January 10′ Issue.  Greetings from Cynthia Hutchison; Healing Touch Program Director

 Dear Readers,

December 2009 marks the close of our 20th Anniversary year. We are now beginning our 21st year, a new decade of orga­nizational maturity. Healing Touch has received worldwide professional recognition for its contributions to body-mind-spirit health and well being accomplished through the heart-centered practices of thousands of HT practitioners, students and instructors. Consumers are asking for it; health care facilities are realizing how HT and related holistic-integrative practices enhance the health and happiness of clients, patients and staff; and practitioners of HT testify to the benefits of practice in terms of personal and professional inner development and ful­fillment. Scientists who research HT, energy medicine and con­sciousness/intentionality are validating the reality and benefits of energy medicine practices. We are living in exciting times!

In honor of bringing HTP’s 20th anniversary celebration to a close, we would like to share with you a list of an overview of some of the accomplishments achieved over the years…

An Overview of HTP Accomplishments

1) has been established for over twenty years and is recog­nized and respected as an established standardized program in many health care facilities and institutions of higher learning across North America,

2) holds respect in both mainstream and holistic circles and even government institutions (Veterans Administration),

3) has a strong and growing research base, including a Research Advisory Board and website (see www.healing­touchresearch.com),

4) has offered continuing education for nurses and massage therapists for many years with plans for expansion to include other health disciplines,

5) has been taught and/or practiced in 32 countries,

6) is a complete, professional, standardized program leading to worldwide certification with over 700 pages of core curricu­lum text,

7) has an empowering and active Professional Association (HTPA), a professional, international ethics committee, an HTP Code of Ethics, Scope of Practice statement and Informed Consent guidelines for practitioners and students

8 ) meets with HTP instructors six times a year via telecon­ferences, not including our annual international meeting or regional instructor meetings,

9) has an autonomous, professional, international certification administrator,

10) has been endorsed by AHNA for twenty years and by the Canadian Holistic Nurses’ Association for many years,

11) has its own liability insurance policy through the Heal­ing Touch Professional Association, specific to Healing Touch Practitioners,

12) offers a myriad of related, supportive courses with CE con­tact hours (Anatomy and Physiology for Healers, HT for Babies, Therapeutic Communication, Touching Body:Tending Soul, HT and the Principles of Hypnosis, Healing Touch and Medical Intuition),

13) is developing and launching a new set of HT Children’s Programs for young children, middle school children and teens,

14) is publishing the new HT Guidebook: Practicing the Art and Science of Human Caring book (December 2009), authored by Dorothea Hover-Kramer with guest authors and a foreword by Dr. Jean Watson,

15) incorporates Caring Science as part of the theoretical framework and has the leader of Caring Science, Dr. Jean Wat­son, on the HTP advisory board,

16) is on its way to national accreditation through NCCA, which will open many doors for HTP certified practitioners who want to work in health care institutions, regardless of whether they are licensed health care practitioners.

17) Finally, considering all this, HTP continues to be very af­fordable and is the best value of a standardized, widely recog­nized energy medicine program which leads to international certification.

We extend our gratitude to so many of you who have helped Janet Mentgen’s legacy get closer to her dream…that HT be available in every home, hospital, health care facility and school. Please partner with us for this next exciting decade where we expect that holistic health care and energy medicine will become ever more mainstream and available as more and more people, communities and institutions embrace spiritual and integrative practices that empower us all to be the best person we can be.

Cynthia