Healing is a collaborative act of care and repair, inextricable from the relationships in which it occurs.
The School for Ethical Touch is a US/UK-based organization focused on the development and implementation of consent-based, trauma-informed practices across all aspects of healthcare, and particularly on the vulnerable realms of gynecological, obstetric, and gender-affirming care.
This is a space for practitioners to imagine, explore and practice the ways in which we can shift the current paradigms of care provision toward models that center the agency and humanity of our patients and clients.
Together, we are moving toward a world in which care of all kinds explicitly centers the embodied experience of those receiving it, and we are here for it.
SET defines “ethical touch” in the context of care as touch that:
centers the agency and wellbeing of the person receiving touch at all times
occurs within an explicit framework of informed consent and refusal: that all people have the right to determine if and how they will be touched
acknowledges the possible power dynamics present in the relationship between caregiver and patient/client, with clarity that a person’s sense of authority over their body and their experience of care is profoundly impactful to their overall health outcomes
recognizes that the complexities of individual experience as well as the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender are important variables that affect the quality and outcome of care
is rooted in connection, kindness and shared humanity over efficiency and profit.
The School for Ethical Touch is a collaboration between somatic practitioners and manual therapists
Pamela Samuelson (US) and Emily Carson (UK).
For more about us and the origins of SET, please click here.
CURRENT OFFERINGS
Training & Education
We offer online and in-person trainings both for providers and for our community.
Our certification training will begin in 2025!
Community
We host regular events both online and in person: reading and discussion groups, panels and conferences, seasonal salons and hands-on practice groups, as well as mentorship and peer support for practitioners who want to transform the culture of care together.
Sign up for our mailing list to find out what’s coming up!
Socials
Find us on Instagram for news about our upcoming offerings, IG lives and cross-pollination with fellow educators, advocates and providers doing excellent work around these topics.
Anatomical collage art by Bedelgeuse