Dear Cuddlist Community,
Cuddle therapy continues to grow as a vibrant modality and Cuddlist is at the leading edge as the brand name to be trusted and respected. We continue to improve the quality of our brand name with the standards that we are bringing to it. Cuddlist continues to focus on empowerment, consent, choice and the therapeutic value to the client. We believe this has a positive impact on our culture and society at large.
Cuddlist trained practitioners own and understand the value of what they are bringing to their clients in each session. Cuddling is about feeling good in our bodies and consent means no one feels good at another’s expense. We are learning how to do this all together. Our members are the rockstars in the field!
A Look Back at 2019
2019 was an exciting year to be a Cuddlist practitioner! Looking back, the theme is quite apparent. It was the year of Cuddle Therapy and connecting with the mental health community. We started the year planning for a guerilla marketing approach to a very large therapy conference on the east coast, Psychotherapy Networker Symposium 2019. With a small but mighty delegate of Cuddlist practitioners lead by our Co-Founder and Director of Training, Madelon Guinazzo, Cuddlist had a very warm welcome from lots of inquisitive therapists at the conference.
We saw a steady increase in therapy referrals and a couple of requests for practitioners to present to therapy practices. Additionally Indigo and Don showed up to present in DC at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington’s 2019 Open House. Danielle Eernisse and Samantha Varnerin were invited to represent Cuddlist at an open house for the Council on Aging in Massachusetts.
We ended the year with Madelon joining Ethan Kaseff and Rellian Merrin to create a 90-minute event at the University of Missouri, Kansas City which awarded therapists CEU credits to learn about how Cuddlists work with clients. A very exciting first…and it is only the beginning!
Tightening up the Cuddlist container was very important this year as we experienced great expansion. Included was an update to the Code of Conduct and the implementation of a new Cuddlist Integrity Policy.
In 2019 we introduced training to over 470 new trainees, adding 117 newly trained practitioners into our membership.
The Future
It’s such an exciting time to be part of a new modality that is pushing back at the independent, isolated world technology has pushed us into. It feels much like the tipping point is here, making cuddle therapy a legitimate therapy for self-care and the treatment of attachment wounds. It’s much like how marriage equality and now marijuana laws are changing. The culture is shifting. We have been at this for 4 years now and the change has been tremendous. Madelon dreamed of this and it really is beginning to feel like a dream come true. It is only a matter of time!
Thank you to our brave practitioners for running into what sometimes feels like a social risk, to learn and practice a new way of approaching consent, empowerment, touch and connection. Thank you to our equally brave clients for trying something new and helping to provide powerful feedback so we can continue to tweak and grow in offering this service to the world. It is an honor and a privilege to be connected with all of you.
Warm hugs,
Adam Lippin and Madelon Guinazzo