Question about cuddling certification

Katelyn_B

Hi,

I've been poking around looking at cuddling certifications because I'm thinking I might like to take some classes. I am a licensed massage therapist and am thinking of expanding my practice to include platonic cuddling in six or eight months.

I'd appreciate any insights from anyone reading this on which programs might be more or less useful.

thank you,

Kate

Morpheus

Everyone please correct me if I’m wrong but I think most states require a license to provide massage therapy but no states require a cuddle certification. I don’t think a cuddle certification is recognized by any states. I think it’s something that’s basically kinda just made up.

Sooson

Private organizations provide one if you go thru training. As far as I know, you are correct. its noting formal that has any legal value.

Katelyn_B

For massage, California currently does, yes, which requires a minimum amount of training/schooling in a certified program. This has also been true in some of the other states I've practiced in over the years.

As for cuddling, no, I don't think it does, but my thinking is not so much to just be able to say I have a cert as it is to see if there is anything I can learn beyond just cuddling with people and learning as I go.

CSnMUS87

The only one I know of that I've seen sometimes around here on pros' profiles is Cuddlist.

CelestialTouch

https://www.cuddle-professionals.co.uk/professional-cuddler-certified-course

I copied this link from someone elses previous forum posting. Never looked into it beyond just the website. There is one other cuddle website (they have an official t-shirt) that offers training and calls it certified but non of these are reckognized officially. I would recommend keeping massage completely separate from cuddling. I knew a cuddler who was also a massage therapist in training and she wanted to keep the practices separate as well it seemed I loved testing each other on massage related stuff, it was fun. I think experience is the best training for cuddling...

TheFunCartel

You can let ChatGPT take your cuddle tests for you.

Katelyn_B

@CelestialTouch Thank you for the information. Yes, my thoughts were to keep massage and cuddling separate and I think this would naturally be the case anyway because my massage clients are all women and it is my understanding that very few women are willing to pay for cuddling so one's paid clients are mostly men. Still, I find it interesting to explore if there is anything I can bring to my massage practice from the world of cuddling in the same sense that I have brought in energy work over the years despite my initial training back in the early 2000s being centered around deep tissue work and elder care.

One of the reasons I'm looking into cuddling is because over the next couple of years I'd like to cut back a bit on the number of massages I'm doing. This kind of work can be hard on the body. It seems to me that cuddling would be a good fit because from what I'm finding it isn't hard on the body at all. The part that is "hard," I'm finding is much in the same way that doing energy work can be hard. I suspect the recovery mechanisms are much the same too.

I keep saying "I'm finding," lol ... but this is a time of exploration for me.

Something else that occurs to me is that I've heard that women are generally not as touch-deprived as many men, and I'm sure this is true. But in my experience many older women, especially in the 70+ crowd are very touch deprived indeed as well as often being "discarded" by society and invisible or a "bother" to their families. I have a lot of these women in my massage practice. Many of them, too, are poor so I work on them on a sliding scale or for free. (I set aside 10 hours a month for this.) A couple of these lovely, dear women tend to linger in the post-massage, goodbye hug so I'm wondering if they might benefit from things I can learn from cuddling without turning it into a "cuddling session?" Or perhaps I could provide some sort of gratis cuddling to these women in a way that doesn't compromise my massage practice? I don't know ... just things to explore over the next six or eight months while I try to learn more about all of this. Anyway, I'm probably getting a little orthogonal here, and I'm certainly rambling ...

As for "experience being the best training for cuddling" you might be right. Maybe, maybe not at least for me; I don't know yet but I'm open to various possibilities and viewpoints. I've been paying for some sessions on here, mainly because I enjoy platonically cuddling with a variety of women, but also as an educational thing.

@BoomerSpooner Thank you, that sounds like a very solid plan and I'll certainly look into that.

Thank you to everyone who has responded thus far.

-- Kate

cuddlefaery

No states currently require certification for cuddling - it's still the wild west. Before states started requiring massage therapists to license and started accrediting the companies that provided certification, it was much the same as the cuddle programs we see today.

There's a few really good programs out there, all with different foci. Because state accreditation doesn't exist yet you do have to vet carefully.

As of right now, certification is more for your education than anything else, since others will place varying weight on that certification. It's kinda like getting an arts degree - only the artists will actually appreciate it 😂

There's been a few threads in the past discussing various certification programs available, as well. You can do a search for them or I'd be happy to message you some. Here's one to get you started: https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/9255/training-courses-for-cuddle-professionals

pmvines

@harleygirlkate
Two of my favorite cuddlers and people in general are 70 and are great cuddle friends , and I also have known and still know several cuddle friends in 60s and 50s. You are correct in that they can be more touch starved at times . Personally I feel like that makes them awesome cuddlers as well

sillysassy

@HarleyGirlKate

I'm thinking I might like to take some classes.

I'm not getting a feeling that you are looking fior "state approval" but that you are more interested in learning more about what it means to offer cuddling as a professional service.

I'm going to talk about that part because I don't want there to be the idea that "it’s basically kinda just made up" just because it hasn't become a legalized field of therapy etc.

I'd appreciate any insights from anyone reading this on which programs might be more or less useful.

I appreciate that you are open to learning and that YOU ARE CURIOUS! Good job you for changing things up to better your life and in the process other people as well.

There are a lot of people who have taken classes and gotten a certificate of training and from a client side, it really matters to me. (Not to everyone obviously because we're all different) AND plenty of people who haven't. The spectrum of Professionals is a beautiful thing.

@RadiantHugs @nurturingman @frankparker9 @justjennn @Hugginghealer @AutumnNichole are just a few people who were looking to get more training before just jumping in with people.

Some training has to do with people who have touch trauma, classes that deal with childhood tradgedies, relationship struggles, body dismorphia, but every single effort you take to understand that professional cuddling can be more than just "winging it" gives you a chance to reach people in a healing way.

In all of the forum posts over the 6 years I've been here, one of the overarching themes is how and why people choose a "Pro" instead of an "Enthusiast" so I would think there would be a ton of information to be gleaned from reading through those old threads.

This is a woman who was one of my first introductions into the cuddling world and consent based touch. A-MA-ZING HUMAN who has a desire to help people spread the word about healthy touch. She started with CuddleParty organization and wound up doing more training through Cuddlist. She has a wealth of knowledge and years of activity. She is someone outside of Cuddle Comfort that might have a lot of insight as well.
https://www.kassandrabrown.org/

@HarleyGirlKate I'm so excited for you and this new journey that you are beginning! WELCOME to the site. Anyone who has "Wicked cool stories to tell" will always be a plus in my book. 😊😊😊

@sillysassy Thank you so much for your post that mentioned aspects of cuddle training that I had not heard before. It makes a lot of sense that one should get training before attempting to cuddle a trauma victim or others that need special care.

musso75

I did the Self Guided Course for Professional Cuddlers and it was useful. They also have longer, in person training that leads to some certificate.
https://cuddlesanctuary.com/train-with-us/

Mela_B

I would check out cuddle sanctuary. Some people here saying that training and certification are useless don't know any better, but the knowledge and experience gained from programs like this are invaluable. If you have any questions feel free to message me.

CelestialTouch

Ive followed one particular person youtube vids from cuddle sanctuary for quite a while on and off, showed how sessions are done in short vids. That person seemed very trustworthy and safe. No reason why high karma patrons here cant do their own little youtube training vids. Its cuddling, not rocket science...

Carrie_Anne

@pmvines 🤗🤗🤗

pmvines

@carrieanne
You telling your age ? I didn't out you dear one , just remember that 😂

CelestialTouch

@HarleyGirlKate
You seem to have the passion I once had. Demographics of a patient never concerned me much and Ive worked with adolescents to elderly. Having worked in healthcare I observed how much more touch a massage therapist engages in with a patient than even doctors at times. I loved the knowledge that came from massage and having an understanding when observing physicians or nurse practitioners evaluating a patient. Like when palpating a patients fingers for sense and determining the median nerve is damaged or mapping the brachial or lumbar plexus as examples. Training never stopped for me after college (at least until 2 years ago). I went to AMA continuing education for physicians (which I am not by far) and say like sports medicine ce's. Im in a room full of doctors or PA's and they were covering orthopaedic special tests, Im like omg, I know this stuff! Sounds like I started my interest in massage about 10 years after you. Yes, administering massage can be rough on a therapist, especially if the therapist has poor ergonomics or body posture. When I was trained I had instructors watching me like a hawk in regards to my posture which I am forever grateful for. Ive heard of therapists ended up leaving because they developed back and hand injuries themselves. Pregnancy massage was more difficult for me to maintain good posture. I actually loved giving massage because of the workout; I cant stand sitting at a desk. It was incredibly difficult for me to have the patience to do light work fluff and buff if a patient requested it. Energy work was not my forte, I was never interested but was still required to take those courses; mine was athletic sports massage, russian sports massage, hydrotherapy, hot stone wasnt bad as long as used my own rocks. I didnt like an employers rocks so I would haul my 50lbs of rocks when I had a hot stone scheduled lol. I was very interested in ashiatsu and went to many businesses who provided mainly in the name of research or to learn from them. Structural integration or the Guild was calling my name for a while. I had a classmate who I studied with, she wanted me to go to Hawaii with her to further our training. That was one of those courses only available to massage therapists with an SI member approval. Anyways, I had interests in a lot of modalities. Interest in providing massage to touch deprived persons was not my goal, I was interested in clinical assessments and treatments of patients chief complaints but Im sure some were there for touch deprivation. Honestly, not sure I could emotionally handle hospice care considering how much death I have seen.
I do not practice massage anymore, neither will I allow a cuddle partner to practice massage in a session; that is if I ever have more sessions 🤔. I find the intimacy involved in therapeutic cuddling to be more intense than massage therapy so have to keep guard on transference, ethics, and attachment. Ive seen the same massage therapists over the duration many years and not had the intense bonding effect that cuddling does in a very short time. Scheduling massage therapists was easy for me, especially consistent ones based on which had the techniques I requested. Here, I have to message message message probably because Im not really willing to hire a pro who just wants to make money considering cuddling is mutually beneficial and Im not desperate. You can have all the training, certification, preparation you want with cuddling, it doesnt mean your partner will follow suit with a preconcieved plan. Everyones different, with every cuddle it takes 2, both are in it together and contribute to a session equally regardless if its a pro or enthusiast. I guess this post is kindof a word salad but its cool that you have that passion that I once had. Hope you find some good certifications! ☺

CelestialTouch

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Katelyn_B

Thank you so much to everyone who has responded. I appreciate it.

@sillysassy Yes, you are right, I'm not looking for "state approval." When I got into massage years ago, it was a legal requirement to obtain state approval through licensure so I did. If it wasn't a requirement, I would have still gone to massage school.

What I see for myself in cuddling is similar to what I saw and still see for myself with massage. If someone wants to be held in a platonic way recreationally without "overthinking it" that is fine with me and I suspect that so far as people paying for cuddling this represents many or maybe even most folks. I've paid for two sessions myself. On the client side I see myself as a "recreational cuddler" who just wants to be held by someone I enjoy spending a couple of hours with. But on the other side, if someone were paying me to cuddle with them and had trauma, special needs, etc. I would want some training to help me be more effective in giving my client what they needed if that came up.

For example, in massage, I started out in my training doing a lot of deep tissue work, but in the end I found my calling in elder care, which I found much different than my initial training. I ended up doing some continuing education because I didn't want to wing it with people who had different physical and emotional needs than I was used to. I suspect some of what I've learned as a massage therapist will translate over to cuddling and there will be different things as well. It was a long road from focusing on knots and insertions with athletes to sitting in a nursing home with a long time client just putting my hands on her gently in her final moments so she wouldn't die alone.

Thank you for the encouragement; you come across to me from what you write in the forums as a very nice person indeed.

@pmvines What you say about touch deprived people making awesome cuddlers is something that I can see being true in a lot of cases.

@cuddlefaery Haha ... I like what you said about Arts degrees, and thank you too for the link.

@CelestialTouch Sounds like you were quite the massage therapist! As for myself, I ended up doing a lot of very focused, deep work in my first job in a chiropractor's office and now 90% of my practice is fluff & buff work for older women while they talk about their lives, opinions, etc. because they have no one to listen to or even touch them in a meaningful way.

I hear you about the posture and body mechanics. I had that experience in school as well and continue to be grateful for those instructors telling me almost 25 years ago to stop hunching my shoulders or saying, "Sink into it, don't bend over from the hips," or "Breathe!" and so forth.

What you said about cuddling sessions often being more emotionly intense than massage, at least for me is pure gold. I've had two sessions myself and I realize that I could easily start having feelings for women I cuddle with if I allowed myself to go there, which I haven't and wouldn't because I don't think that would be healthy for me, fair to the people I'm cuddling with, and I wouldn't do that to my partner, who supports me being on here and suggested that I do this professionally at some point. And I'm not touch deprived or lonely at all. If I were either or both of these things as many who seek cuddling partners I'm learning typically are, I know I would have to step carefully indeed, so your advice about that resonated with me.

Thank you again to everyone and have a lovely day.

-- Kate

TxTom

No states currently require certification for cuddling - it's still the wild west.

Why should there be license requirements for professional cuddlers?

Why is there license requirements for massage therapists, and to install window coverings, and numerous other things?

Why should any of these things require approval of government bureaucrats in order to engage in them professionally?

To prevent fraud and abuse? Please.

CuddleComfort is an excellent example of a bureaucrat-free environment with it's own system of checks and balances. Many Pros here have sought out further education/training/certification of their own volition and they seem to be doing very well for themselves.

In what way would the approval of cubicle dwelling pencil pusher enhance their professional experience?

ManOutdoors

A certification is something that is just optional and I am in favor of that for cuddling and lots of other professions such as cutting hair and massage. If something has a license, you can't do it without a license. I am in favor of getting rid of lots of licensed professions and just having optional certifications instead. Customers can choose where they want to go.

To the original post, I think it's great you are seeking a certification and I think it's something more professional cuddlers should be doing as well.

TxTom

@ManOutdoors I stand corrected. You are right, I did not make the important distinction between a license and a certificate. You are correct about the benefit of seeking self-certification.

I will edit my original post.

TheFunCartel

Why is there license requirements for massage therapists,

Whoa. Because you do have to have training and knowledge beyond the layman to do geriatric massage, pregnancy massage, or post-injury/post-surgery massage. Massage isn’t always some person who is a little sore from yard work. Physicians refer patients to them and they do so knowing they have the training and professional ethics to back them up.

pmvines

Speaking as a licensed professional. Licensing guarantees a standardization of continued training with an expectation or professionalism and ethics. That's why there is licensing for certain professions.

TxTom

Because you do have to have training and knowledge beyond the layman... and professional ethics...

You are right, and I agree. And the more of that they voluntarily seek on their own, the more customer satisfaction and referrals wil likely result.

There's still no need for bureaucrat meddling.

EDIT: In other words, can certain industries not police themselves? Again, CC seems to do that fairly well.

TheFunCartel

the more customer satisfaction and referrals will likely result.

Likely but not probably. Professional boards are made up of professional members. Police protect police, lawyers protect lawyers, and doctors protect doctors(Dr. Death anyone?). Government represents the legal avenue if something goes wrong and establishes minimum standards that if not met, can be contested. But if no governmental laws or watchdog agencies existed, then you wouldn’t be able to contest and you wouldn’t have insurance policies that insure both professional and patient for example. This isn’t as simple as no government and everything is hunky-dory. No not every profession needs governmental oversight, but some do.

TxTom

No not every profession needs governmental oversight, but some do.

That's right, like the aforementioned professions (cuddling, massage, window coverings, etc.)

I do agree with licensing, especially when life and death may be involved: pilots, or what I do, which is dealing with HazMat.

TheFunCartel

I do agree with licensing, especially when life and death may be involved: pilots, or what I do, which is dealing with HazMat.

Or anything to do with healthcare. I would not want to see a doc or any other medical profession that isn’t licensed. Massage therapists fall under that umbrella.

TxTom

Surgeons, or any doctor who can prescribe medicine, yes to licensing.

But can someone die from massage therapy?

TheFunCartel

But can someone die from massage therapy?

Yes. You need to know what you are doing with surgical patients, geriatric patients and pregnant women (you can kill the fetus and then murder charges could come into play with all the half-wit laws regarding that now). You do know people on life support receive massage.

Mental professionals better know what they are doing regarding suicidal or delusional patients as well.

Nurses administer drugs far more often than doctors so they can kill as well.

Someone that puts their hands on you, cares for you, or gives you something can kill you if they are not properly trained or held accountable by someone beyond the profession.