FSMTA’s Massage Message Magazine
By Editor

Allen’s early work at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, while leading their integrative team resulted in the first ever recognized pediatric massage program in the United States. Her success with Liddle Kidz® Foundation has provided sustainable healthcare opportunities for countless marginalized populations around the world. Orphanage caregivers, for example, are taught the Liddle Kidz® touch therapy techniques to apply to the children in their care with outstanding results.

Additionally, massage therapists have access to hands-on and virtual advanced training that can earn several specific certifications focusing on children and infants, autism, trauma, and PTSD. Allen’s educational philosophy fully supports therapists long after their initial course certifications. This is her commitment to make these healthcare services available to those in the most need. Her method also applies well to geriatric populations.

Tina Allen, founder of the Liddle Kidz® Foundation, is the world’s foremost expert in infant and pediatric massage, touch therapy, and hospital-based touch therapy. She is an internationally respected lecturer, educator, and award-winning author of the best-selling book A Modern-Day Guide to Massage for Children.

For more than 20 years, Tina has led the Liddle Kidz® Foundation in advancing global awareness of pediatric touch therapy. Her integrative, evidence-informed approach has allowed her to create comprehensive certification programs and consult on countless pediatric massage initiatives, research studies, and clinical protocols.

She has collaborated with healthcare professionals across the globe to bring pediatric massage therapy to over 200 medical institutions, including Stanford Medicine, Mayo Clinic, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Tokyo Metropolitan Children’s Hospital. Tina’s work with children and families worldwide has earned distinguished international recognition, including the Massage Therapy Foundation Humanitarian of the Year Award, the American Massage Therapy Association Award for Distinguished Service, and the State of California Champion for Children Award.

Tina Allen has remained focused on her singular vision for “providing touch therapy and advancing pediatric healthcare for infants and children in the U.S. and around the world.” Have you ever had such a dream to make a positive change through your training as a licensed massage therapist?

Discover just how this journey to provide these services has affected both the receivers and the givers, including Tina, in her own words in response to my interview questions.

Interview with Tina Allen

Editor:

How did your tribal cultural heritage factor into your creation of the Liddle Kidz® Foundation?

Tina:

Continuing to learn about and reconnect with my tribal cultural heritage has deeply shaped both my worldview and the values that became the foundation of Liddle Kidz®.

I was raised with a strong sense of responsibility to community, especially to elders and children, and with the understanding that healing is relational. It is something that happens through presence, care, and trust.

In many Indigenous traditions, touch is inseparable from wellness. It is a way of communicating safety, respect, and belonging. Those teachings stayed with me as I entered the massage and touch therapy profession and began working with medically fragile children and families.

I came to understand that touch therapy was not only about technique, but about how we show up for people during their most vulnerable moments and how we communicate that they matter.

There were times early in my work when a child was surrounded by medical equipment and procedures, and a parent felt unsure of how to connect without causing harm. Often I would hear some version of, “I just want to help my child, but I don’t know how.”

When that parent learned how to place their hands gently and intentionally, something shifted. The child’s facial expression softened. The parent relaxed. In those moments, touch became a bridge back to relationship, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

Liddle Kidz® Foundation grew from those experiences and from the belief that ethical, informed, compassionate touch has the power to restore dignity and connection, even in the most clinical settings.

Editor:

Why did you choose to develop your vision as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization?

Tina:

From the beginning, my vision was never centered on profit. It was guided by a desire to expand access, education, and meaningful long-term impact.

I wanted pediatric massage and clinically informed touch therapy to reach children and families who need it most, without being limited by financial or geographic barriers.

This structure allows Liddle Kidz® Foundation to remain deeply focused on service while collaborating with hospitals, educational institutions, and massage therapy professionals who share a commitment to ethical, evidence-informed care.

Resources are continually reinvested into education, research, and outreach, which allows the work to grow thoughtfully and sustainably within real healthcare environments.

It also enables us to support massage therapists and healthcare providers through education that respects scope of practice, prioritizes safety, and builds confidence when working with complex populations.

At its core, the intention is to ensure that touch therapy remains accessible, credible, and grounded in compassion and integrity.

Editor:

What have you learned from your global experiences in terms of networking and partnerships?

Tina:

Working globally has reinforced for me that while healthcare systems and cultural norms differ, the heart of care remains the same. Compassion translates across languages and borders.

One of the most important lessons I have learned is the value of listening first. Effective partnerships are built by understanding local traditions, family dynamics, and cultural relationships with touch.

Touch can and should be adapted to meet each child’s needs, and it must also be adapted with cultural awareness and respect.

When we approach global work with humility and curiosity, collaboration becomes authentic rather than imposed.

Massage therapists and healthcare providers around the world share a deep commitment to helping others feel safe, supported, and cared for.

When we center that shared purpose, trust grows naturally and the work becomes sustainable long after a program or training ends.

Editor:

What are your hopes or takeaways for your newest North American tour?

Tina:

My hope is that participants leave with both practical skills and a renewed sense of purpose in their work.

Many massage therapists enter this profession because they want to help others, yet burnout and uncertainty can sometimes disconnect us from that original calling.

At Liddle Kidz® Foundation, we want therapists to feel confident using ethical, evidence-informed touch therapy in pediatric and medically complex settings.

We also want them to feel supported in understanding boundaries, communication, and scope of practice so they can work with clarity and confidence when real moments arise.

On a broader level, I hope this tour sparks conversations and connections among therapists, educators, and healthcare organizations.

When we come together as a community, the impact extends far beyond a single program or event.

If even one therapist feels more grounded and inspired, or one facility reimagines how touch therapy can support families, then meaningful change has begun.

Editor:

What advice would you offer to massage therapists who want to make a positive difference through touch therapy?

Tina:

Stay rooted in purpose rather than comparison. Making a difference does not always mean expanding your practice or doing something bigger.

Often it means deepening your work with intention, integrity, and care.

Invest in education. Remain curious. Honor ethical boundaries and practice cultural humility.

Never underestimate the importance of presence. Your ability to listen, to notice, and to respond with compassion is just as important as your technical skill.

Touch therapy is grounded in connection, safety, and trust. When you bring care, intention, and respect into your work, you create moments of calm, confidence, and healing that extend far beyond the session itself.

This profession has the quiet power to restore hope, strengthen human connection, and remind people that compassionate care can truly make a difference.

We are honored to recognize Tina Allen as our FSMTA Massage Message Magazine Spotlight on Excellence recipient.

Learn more about Tina Allen and the Liddle Kidz® Foundation at LiddleKidz.org, and connect with her in Orlando, Florida in September 2026 for a rare immersive learning experience featuring ten full days of hands-on certification courses at the Central Florida School of Massage.