The Christie Charity
Integrative therapies are a group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines used alongside conventional medicine, to provide supportive care to patients e.g. stress management techniques, touch therapies, visualisation, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, reflexology, oncology massage etc.
Vision of the ITTU
- To work towards a future where integrative therapies are part of every patient’s journey.
- To be the chosen provider for all of the training we deliver.
- To provide exceptional and inspiring training for every student who embarks on our educational events.
- To be recognised both nationally and internationally.
Values of the ITTU
- Quality: To ensure that the training we provide is high-quality, diverse, evidence-based and informed by real-world experience of oncology and supportive care settings.
- Continuous learning: To provide learning for qualified therapists and other healthcare professionals at all stages of their careers; to enhance their knowledge and skills and help them expand their Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
- Leadership: To enhance the recognition and understanding of integrative therapies including oncology massage, both nationally and internationally, through training, research and constructive engagement with therapists, healthcare professionals and the larger public.
- Passion: To share with our students the passion we have for integrative therapies and to inspire similar passion in them.
- Nurturing: To provide expert support, advice and guidance for all of our students in a caring and compassionate manner.
Mission of the ITTU
- To be at the forefront of what we do, to support continuing personal and professional development of all of our students and ultimately improve the care provided to patients and carers, using a range of different therapies from aromatherapy to oncology massage.
- To deliver excellent, evidence-based training, delivered by highly competent tutors, that meets the needs of qualified therapists and other healthcare professionals.
- To educate and share our knowledge of the value that integrative therapies has for all patients and carers.
The complementary health and wellbeing department
The ITTU is part of the complementary health and wellbeing department, which was initially established in 1997 by Dr Jacqui Stringer and then further expanded by Dr Peter Mackereth from 2001.
The complementary health and wellbeing department is a clinically-integrated, charity-funded and award-winning service that provides therapies to patients at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest specialist cancer centres in Europe. The complementary health and wellbeing department was one of the pioneering services in providing a range of therapies (oncology massage, adapted reflexology, acupuncture, hypnotherapy and other stress management techniques) to oncology patients within an NHS setting.
The team has contributed to academic research to advance understanding and best practice in the field of integrative oncology. The clinical and research lead of the complementary health and wellbeing department, Dr Jacqui Stringer, is an internationally recognised leader in the field of aromatherapy.
The complementary health and wellbeing department has taken part in many different research studies and clinical trials, written papers and contributed to writing various books on the topic of integrative therapies.