Blog

Massage therapists are more than “nice to have.” Integrating massage therapy is inherent in our ethical imperative to ease suffering.

None of us know the names of the Black women with breast cancer who make up the “40% more” deaths than their white counterparts every year. This is partly by design.

It's no surprise to you that humans are social creatures. We crave connection and the feeling of belonging. Social identity and intergroup relations give us context as we live each day...

Corey Rivera created this excellent infographic to help you understand Healwell's latest dosing study.

Corey Rivera shares three reasons you should read research... and three reasons why you might not.

It's clear to me that we will not be silenced. We are strong. We are gorgeous, and we are coming into our power.

Massage Therapists Ease the Pain of Hospice Patients — But Aren’t Easy to Find

CBS News - Massage therapists ease the pain of hospice patients — but aren't easy to find

New research demonstrates that patients in the palliative care setting benefit most from short, repeated doses of massage therapy in the hospital.

Cal Cates is a guest on The Integrative Palliative Podcast with Delia Chiaramonte, MD.

Cal Cates and Corey Rivera were invited to write this piece about our Within Reach symposium for the ABMP blog.

The latest study Healwell published “Massage Therapy for Hospitalized Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was highlighted in Physicians Weekly in their article "Massage Therapy for Palliative Care Patients in Hospital".

Cal Cates on the first episode of S4OM's Collaborative Connections Podcast

You already know that Healwell does important work... What you might not know is that all that work is made possible by generous people like you.

Have you ever gone to a funeral, and the deceased wasn't there?

The latest study Healwell published, “Massage Therapy for Hospitalized Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial” was highlighted by Clinical Pain Advisor in their article "Frequent Short Massage Therapy Sessions Beneficial for Hospitalized Patients."

Every word and action make an impact.

Cal Cates speaks about the lack of self-regulation training, examples of judgment with a client, and how offering opinions can have a “silencing effect” on clients.

Til Luchau talks with Cal Cates about "massage therapy's sex problem:" how the profession's "touchiness" about the intimacy-sensuality-sexuality continuum, however well-founded, might not be serving either our clients, nor ourselves.

Cal Cates joins the MBB podcast to talk about why we all need to get cozier talking about sex in our massage practices.

Corey Rivera authored this article about reading research for Massage Magazine.

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month for recognizing the 300,000 or so children in the U.S. with the disease. When I was diagnosed at age two, it was not a well-known condition and it took my family many doctors’ visits and over a year to identify the disease I was fighting.

Massage therapy has a sex problem. We don’t like to talk about it. We don’t like it when it gets into our workspaces, and we really can’t square the idea that people who pay for sex or who want sex and massage in the same transaction can still be decent humans.

Healwell's Education Director, Rebecca Sturgeon goes "Beyond It Depends" on the Thinking Practitioner podcast.

I trust nurses. Doctors? Sure, they’re fine, they diagnose and treat. But nurses do the hardest work – the care work – without the accolades or the pay that doctors receive.

I have two experiences that are coming together in my life in a very interesting way... Reflecting on these experiences, I see what can happen when we haven't learned to be comfortable in our discomfort.

Cal Cates interviewed by Jay Pryor for The Gender Reveal Party Podcast

Can social media be useful in the fight for social justice, or are you just screaming into the void? Is it possible to change people’s minds? Are there different tactics for speaking with family vs strangers? What makes a successful protest?

Cal's most recent column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine explores four reasons why it's difficult to conduct a proper study.

Apology and forgiveness. So simple, right? Then why do we all find it so difficult?

The term Social Justice Warrior is often used to refer to people who lean left, liberal or progressive, believe in fairness and generally live in a way that makes it clear that they’re not down with the status quo. However, we’re not all warriors.

There is more than one way to fight. More than one way to change the future. There has to be. We all live different lives, with different resources, challenges, abilities and beliefs.

Healthcare professionals (and everyone) need to have more and better conversations about end of life choices and advanced care plans.

Being a massage therapist is a rough gig... Among the things that could be under our control, there is a quietly looming monster that patiently waits: disability.

What happens when you can’t massage anymore? This is the first of a two-part description on the decline of my ability to perform massage.

Cal's column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine explores ways that massage therapists can stop being purveyors of misinformation.

“I do not make resolutions. Winter is not the time to suddenly stop eating.” ~Me on facebook, every year since 2017

There are so many moments when, if I am listening, I have my every assumption challenged.

Luckily, rebellions aren’t about what they want us to be, they’re about what we want to create. Sometimes the most defiant acts are those of joy, happiness, and community.

Massage uses ostriching as a default response to being wrong. A profession that wants to be taken seriously as healthcare should not act this way. So why do we? Healwell's Education Coordinator, Corey Rivera, has some ideas.

In this edition of their column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Cal warns, "If you’re feeling bored or finding yourself rolling your eyes at “yet another COVID story,” snap out of it. COVID is very much alive, and it is still very much our responsibility as people who care for people to... care for people."

Allissa Haines and Cal Cates dig deep into the work that needs to be done to cultivate an unconditional positive regard for clients.

In this column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Cal explores measuring the value of the practitioner, not the modality.

Diane Matkowski interviews Cal Cates on the Massage Mentor podcast

Cal's column for Massage & Bodywork Magazine tackles the stories we tell about health and explores how to dismantle our assumptions.

Cal Cates joins The Thinking Practitioner to talk about how their work with death and dying brought perspective and presence to their work as a massage therapist; and to living itself.

“Cultural Competency for Massage Therapists” from instructors Cal Cates and Kerry Jordan has been added to ABMP's Education Center.

Follow-up to "The Worst Things (Part 2)." Resources and recommendations to combat the silo-ing and imagined hierarchy within the massage therapy profession.