In the helping professions, touch seems to be one of the least understood or talked about subjects. Yet we know that touch is incredibly powerful in counselling, psychotherapy, marriage and family therapy, spiritual care, palliative care, teaching, nursing, and medicine. This book weaves together scholarly evidence, research, and clinical practice pointing to the importance of touch in human physical and emotional development. It is structured along three axes: the theory of touch, the practice of touch in therapy, and the ethics of touch. It discusses the roles of gender, age, culture and life experience, as well as subjects such as canineassisted therapy, touch deprivation, sacred objects, as well as key ethical considerations. The varied perspectives-philosophy, theology, psychology, anthropology-challenge assumptions about the role of touch in the helping professions. They provide historical-cultural-professional context and draw from a range of source material. The book emphasizes that healthy, non-sexual touch is not taught enough as part of professional training and oversight. The lack of dialogue, due to fear of contravening ethical boundaries, is denying an open and responsible discussion on the use of touch in therapy, adding to the theoretical basis of our understanding of this fundamental need.
