About

Our belief is simple – Everyone deserves compassionate touch. In fact, skilled, caring touch is a birthright throughout the life cycle, during health and illness. At Tracy Walton & Associates, we prepare massage therapists to serve every person, including those with medical conditions. Our publications, courses, and webinars apply current research and meaningful principles to the diverse needs of each client. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we provide massage guidelines for the wide range of conditions and settings actually encountered in daily practice. Based in science and complementing medical practice, our unique system integrates massage therapy into professional health care.

Tracy Walton developed guidelines that are already at work in hospitals, massage schools, and clinics across the country. This includes a Pressure Scale she developed, based on the work of Gayle MacDonald and Dawn Nelson.

Featured in a groundbreaking pathology textbook, Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy, Walton’s system demystifies massage contraindications. Clear, precise guidelines are offered in sufficient detail for immediate use. The book reaches all healthcare practitioners, from the student to the seasoned professional. Our online courses and face-to face oncology massage courses are also based on our system. We even offer an inspiring massage home instruction program with DVD and handbook, designed to guide caregivers of people with cancer.

With customized massage care plans for a host of medical conditions, massage therapists work with sensitivity and confidence. Our system answers the barrage of questions in the massage classroom, and the lingering uncertainties among practitioners. For the first time, therapists see contraindications spelled out with her specific pressure scale and “decision tree” roadmaps for each client presentation. There are interview questions for each condition, with precise massage guidelines based on clients’ answers.

Massage therapy has grown rapidly, responding to the yearning for skilled touch during health, disease, injury, and aging. Across this spectrum, people hope for the steady, reassuring hands of therapeutic massage. Our system prepares therapists to meet them.

Foundational Courses:
Oncology Massage Therapy: Caring for Clients with Cancer (32 hours).

Supplemental courses:
Setting Fees and Discounts for Oncology Massage Therapy and Hospice Care (4 hours)

Ethics in Oncology Massage and Hospice Care Ethics (4 hours)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy Webinar (SERIES): Successes, Challenges and Sound Advice (7 hours)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Individual webinar recording) (1 hour)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy at California Pacific Medical Center (Individual webinar recording) (1 hour)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Individual webinar recording) (1 hour)

What Makes Hospital-Based Massage Therapy Work? A Panel Discussion System (Individual webinar recording) (41.5 hours)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy at Boston Medical Center (Individual webinar recording) (1.5 hours)

Hospital-Based Massage Therapy at Beaumont Health System (Individual webinar recording)  (1 hour)

Oncology Massage Therapy Advanced Mentorship Program (40 hours)

Oncology Massage in Action: Insights from Successful Practitioners (7 hours)

Cancer and Massage Therapy: What does the Research Say? (3 hours)

Oncology Massage Clinic Intensive (8 hours)