McKinnon Massage Grads Touch Lives & Hearts

By Linda Aldridge

You may have seen the recent headlines coming out of Oakland: Shootings. Brutal attacks. Homicide rates on the rise, with communities and families torn by violence on an almost daily basis.

One Oakland non-profit is addressing the problem with – literally – a hands-on approach. The premise is simple but powerful: positive, intentional touch improves not only quality of life but also helps create the capacity for healthy interpersonal interaction. Scientific research conducted by University of Miami School of Medicine's Touch Research Institute confirms that lack of touch in the first years of life results in lasting, negative social-emotional and psychological development patterns.

To provide an environment for giving, receiving, and learning about healthy touch, Touch Health Association (THA), a community outreach agency of the McKinnon Institute of Massage, LLC, offers teen moms classes in infant massage. These Hands-On Habits classes help women learn to observe their children and assess their needs for attention and touch. The young mothers also learn practical touch skills so that they can care for their children in ways that will support healthy growth and development.

One of the most powerful aspects of the program is that teen moms also receive massage from trained professionals as part of their education. Experiencing the benefits of supportive touch firsthand helps motivate young mothers to provide similarly positive experiences for their children – and, often, they want to learn more about how positive touch can become a bigger part of not only their lives, but the lives of their friends and families as well.

For program graduates who want to learn more about careers in massage and touch therapies, McKinnon Institute offers tuition scholarships to established massage therapy programs at the school. THA, in turn, seeks to employ trained graduates in providing massage to underserved populations.

THA, working with the Oakland Coalition for Teen Parent Service Providers and CALSafe, has provided infant massage classes in Oakland Public High Schools for Teen Moms for five years. Over 150 teenage mothers have learned about massage, self-care, and healthy habits associated with pregnancy and parenting. The positive effects rippling out through Oakland families and communities are reflected in participants' own words: "I could use this to give my baby massages – and my mom, because her legs hurt..." "I like giving massage to my baby and I know she enjoys it, too." "It was fun! I would use what I learn to help my husband and my mom." "I'd like to set a good example for my daughter and be a good role model." "When I want massage from other people, I can teach them how to massage." "I would love to be a massage therapist in the future!"

Selena Lee, Executive Director of THA, hopes to expand operations in the coming years. "The response has been overwhelmingly positive," she says. "Regular classroom teachers are amazed at the level of attention, focus, and interpersonal cooperation and friendliness the students display during Touch Health classes. As more people know about our work and choose to support it, we will be able to empower more girls and young women with self-awareness and touch skills. As we've seen, sometimes caring touch makes all the difference."