Infant Massage, baby massage and children's Massage Expert, Tina Allen welcomes any questions relating to infant and baby massage, children's massage, pediatric massage, and massage for infants and children who are hospitalized or in hospice care.
Additionally, through her internationally recognized volunteer work, Tina has extensive experience providing massage therapy to men and women who have advanced HIV/AIDS, are elderly or living with terminal illness in hospice care.
Experience
With over a decade of service to children and families, Tina Allen, founder of leading children’s health and nurturing touch organization Liddle Kidz™, has become an internationally respected educator, author and expert in the field of infant massage and pediatric massage therapy. She is a Pediatric Massage Master Teacher, Developmental Baby Massage Teacher and a Licensed Massage Therapist with specialized training in providing massage therapy for children with special healthcare needs. She understands the varied physical and emotional needs of hospitalized and medically complex infants, children and their families. Because of her dedication to the well-being of the entire family, she has studied and become certified in pregnancy massage and is a Trainer of Peaceful Touch®, which implements a healthy touch approach for children in school based environments.
Ms. Allen began her charitable work as a volunteer massage therapist with The Heart Touch Project, a nonprofit educational and service organization dedicated to the delivery of compassionate touch to homebound and hospitalized men, women and children. As a volunteer, she has provided massage to individuals with advanced HIV/AIDS, children with special needs and senior citizens at the end of life.
Most recently, as Director of the Children’s Program for The Heart Touch Project, she provided specialized education and inspiration for massage therapists committed to addressing the needs of medically challenged infants and children who are hospitalized or in hospice care. To date, approximately sixteen hundred volunteers have participated in The Heart Touch Project, their ranks including massage therapists, physicians, physical therapists, and nurses.
In addition, Ms Allen managed the nation’s first comprehensive pediatric massage program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where she trained volunteer massage therapists and medical professionals to work with hospitalized Rehabilitation patients, medically complex infants in the Center for Newborn and Infant Critical Care (CNICC), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Children with Retinoblastoma, Spina Bifida and Cerebral Palsy. She developed pediatric massage programs at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, as well as developed a program focusing on introducing gentle compassionate touch to women and children who have survived domestic abuse.
Her innovative approach to children’s health has allowed her the unique opportunity to educate families and professionals throughout the world in the many benefits of nurturing touch. At personal request, Ms. Allen has taught in England, France, Sweden, Canada and Thailand.
Recently, Ms. Allen led a group of volunteer massage therapists to Thailand where they provided care to infants and children affected by HIV/AIDS and living in orphanages. These children, often considered untouchable, received much needed touch therapy and compassionate care. Their caregivers were taught by Ms. Allen to provide healing touch for these children, so they would continue to receive much needed “TLC” long after the volunteer group returned to the United States. She has plans to travel with another volunteer group to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and India to provide similar care.
A widely known expert in her field, Ms. Allen has appeared on NBC, The Learning Channel’s “Bringing Home Baby”, PBS "A Place of Our Own", KCET and Your LATV. She is featured as the Infant and Children’s Massage Expert on Canadian Parents and Parent Guide Canada. Ms. Allen has also received recognition as First 5 California’s Champion for Children, was honored with the Richard Ryder Award for her dedicated and passionate service and is a 2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductee.
Based in both Los Angeles, California & Vancouver, British Columbia, Tina Allen’s private massage therapy practice focuses on educating families in the many benefits of nurturing touch. Her organiztion Liddle Kidz offers Infant, Children's and Pediatric Massage Instruction courses internationally.
She is an invited speaker to major conferences and has presented for organizations such as Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, First 5 LA, Infant Childhood and Relationship Enrichment Network, Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic, Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Glendale Memorial Hospital, South Bay Counseling Center, PAC/LAC (Perinatal Advisory Council: Leadership Advocacy and Consultation), The International Association of Infant Massage, ELNEC (End of Life Nursing Education Consortium), Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and major school districts throughout the United States.
Awards and Honors First 5 LA's Champion for our Children • 2009 Massage Therapy Hall of Fame Inductee • Richard Ryder Award for Dedicated and Passionate Service
Past/Present Clients Children's Hospital Los Angeles •
Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA •
Cedars Sinai Medical Center •
TrinityKids care
Question Can anyone massage therapist show a parent how to massage their baby, or do you have to be certified?
Answer Hi Laurie,
Thank you for your question. Most massage therapists are generally trained to provide massage therapy for adult clients. To provide massage therapy for anyone aside from a typical adult client, special training is required to help the therapist gain the knowledge they need to properly apply massage and touch therapy. So for example, providing massage for pregnant clients, geriatric clients, and infant and pediatric clients requires special training. Infants are different in many ways than adults.
Additionally, if a massage therapist has learned to provide infant massage as a hands-on therapy, rather than in teaching infant massage to caregivers, they may not have gained the skills to instruct parents in the application of the massage strokes.
During Certified Infant Massage Teacher Training (CIMT), the student learns about the history & global use of infant massage as a parenting practice, infant massage techniques and methodology, benefits for both infants and caregivers, current research and the importance of communication and attachment in building healthy emotional relationships. Additionally, the student learns techniques for providing class sessions that are comfortable for parents and caregivers.
Once a student has been certified as an infant massage teacher, parents feel comfortable in knowing that the certified infant massage teacher has attended a comprehensive, research-based training, and completed required out of class practicum to prepare them to provide the best parent education possible.
