Introducing Massage for Community Care
Massage for Community Care (MFCC) is an 8-week, community-based learning series designed to equip community members with the presence, communication, and hands-on skills needed to offer massage and nurturing touch as an act of community care.
MFCC expands access to massage beyond professional, clinical, and luxury settings—supporting community members to care for one another in ways that reduce isolation, strengthen connection, and build collective resilience.
Centering Justice, Agency, & Collective Liberation
MFCC operates within an explicit anti-oppression framework that recognizes how interpersonal and structural power shape experiences of touch and consent. MFCC names these dynamics and intentionally disrupts the gatekeeping of nourishing touch by centering inclusion and accessibility through mutual aid.
MFCC approaches massage and nurturing touch as tools for embodied liberation. Many people—especially those with marginalized identities—have experienced touch as unsafe, withheld, or taken without consent, often alongside a broader loss of bodily autonomy. MFCC offers an alternative: community care grounded in dignity, choice, and respect for all bodies.
More Than a Class
As participants listen to their bodies, name boundaries, and give and receive care with consent, nurturing touch becomes a practice of restoration and self-determination—supporting greater self-trust and self-advocacy that extends far beyond the workshop.
Growth Through Collaboration
Initially created by Christie Holtzclaw, licensed massage therapist and health educator, MFCC is a rapidly evolving program. Curriculum development is ongoing, and the work is being shaped in collaboration with a growing group of practitioners, educators, and community members who bring diverse skills, perspectives, and lived experience to the project.
MFCC expands access to massage beyond professional, clinical, and luxury settings—supporting community members to care for one another in ways that reduce isolation, strengthen connection, and build collective resilience.
Centering Justice, Agency, & Collective Liberation
MFCC operates within an explicit anti-oppression framework that recognizes how interpersonal and structural power shape experiences of touch and consent. MFCC names these dynamics and intentionally disrupts the gatekeeping of nourishing touch by centering inclusion and accessibility through mutual aid.
MFCC approaches massage and nurturing touch as tools for embodied liberation. Many people—especially those with marginalized identities—have experienced touch as unsafe, withheld, or taken without consent, often alongside a broader loss of bodily autonomy. MFCC offers an alternative: community care grounded in dignity, choice, and respect for all bodies.
More Than a Class
As participants listen to their bodies, name boundaries, and give and receive care with consent, nurturing touch becomes a practice of restoration and self-determination—supporting greater self-trust and self-advocacy that extends far beyond the workshop.
Growth Through Collaboration
Initially created by Christie Holtzclaw, licensed massage therapist and health educator, MFCC is a rapidly evolving program. Curriculum development is ongoing, and the work is being shaped in collaboration with a growing group of practitioners, educators, and community members who bring diverse skills, perspectives, and lived experience to the project.
SUPPORT THE WORK
Help fund the development of MFCC’s foundational curriculum materials—including the Participant Toolkit and Facilitator Guide—which are essential to offering the program clearly, consistently, and accessibly across diverse community settings.
JOIN THE NEXT COHORT
The next Columbus-based MFCC cohort begins February 23rd.
FOLLOW ALONG
Stay in the loop for updates, reflections, and future offerings.
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I loved this class! Christie has put her heart into this course and it really shows. Not only was this a great community experience but I left feeling more confident with my massage skills and will a greater understanding of how touch belongs in a community <3
Fall 2025 Participant
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This workshop has shown me that community care goes beyond the boundaries of what I'd previously considered possible. And that community doesn't have to be a large scale of members. Community is established by a set of people who come together with care and intention regularly. It's a beautiful, fluid thing.
Fall 2025 Participant
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I loved the Massage for Community Care course. Christie is a knowledgeable facilitator who blends her passion for community-building and healing-touch to create a course that is rooted in massage fundamentals while offering connection to the individuals and group as a whole. As a student, I have gained confidence in my ability to administer massage to friends and family in a way that I know will be safe, soothing and care-taking. I also feel more grounded and centered in my body because the course helped me get in better touch with my body. This is a great course for anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of massage, build their community, and connect with other people. Christie is phenomenal and I highly recommend attending!
Fall 2025 Participant
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I really enjoyed the thoughtfulness/care with which you held the space and lead discussions of hard topics in a way that made everyone feel safe to participate. I especially felt I learned a lot hearing everyone's viewpoints and experiences regarding harm/repair/justice and power imbalances.
Fall 2025 Participant
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Everything I've done previously to 'contribute' to community care has felt stressful/draining, but this opened me up to a different way to promote ease within myself while also helping others heal and find ease.
Fall 2025 Participant
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100% treasure the consent talks.
Fall 2025 Participant
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Christie is a hearty human holding peaceful mindful spaces. The workshop made my being easier in general and definitely taught me the massage 101 I needed to provide service to my loved ones, with minimal stress (technically or socially). 12/10!
Fall 2025 Participant
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Take this class! It's the best thing I've ever done with a Monday night.
Fall 2025 Participant
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