own “importance of self-care through massage” message to accompanying caregivers of admitted patients. This study is an evidence-based example of how even weekly massage for caregivers is beneficial for individual well-being and perspectives on continued caregiving capacity. Final Thoughts 8 After selecting this study as one I wanted to focus on for Somatic Research, I discovered it was funded by the Massage Therapy Foundation, which made my smile about this work widen just a bit more. The Massage Therapy Foundation provides modest funding each year through a competitive process for community service and research projects like this one. As mentioned in prior columns, research is time-consuming and, in most cases, requires financial support to cover related costs, such as people’s time, materials and supplies, incentives, and dissemination. While the large-scale massage intervention trials that are so exciting to our field are typically funded by national governmental funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Health Administration, or other similarly large institutions, funding and support avenues for smaller scale, early research career, and clinical research is important. The selection of this research project by a funder with its sole focus on the massage therapy field speaks to this study’s alignment with the field’s interests, as well as its reflection of real-world massage therapy practice and relevance. Background: Massage therapy is a proven method for reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression as evidenced through literature review. However, the practice of complementary and integrative modalities (CIM), such as massage, is uncommon within psychiatric care. This leaves a gap in practice in the psychiatric setting. Purpose: The capstone quality improvement project addressed the identified gap by providing education on massage therapy to mental health providers and clients, and by increasing massage accessibility and use in the outpatient psychiatric setting by providing education on performing self-massage. Methods: The education was provided via pre-recorded video. Clients/providers completed pre and post-assessments addressing beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes regarding massage therapy; its use for symptom management; and the practice of self-massage. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the pre and post-data to provide average scores and percent change in values. Results: Sixteen clients and three providers participated, with a 50% and 100% return rate, respectively. There was an increase in beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes regarding massage therapy in all areas measured. The most improvement in scores was noted for items assessing client knowledge of massage contraindications (109.5% change), confidence in ability to perform massage (45.5% change), and knowledge of the benefits of massage (42.1% change). Both clients and providers were motivated regarding the use of massage as a treatment modality as indicated by high pre and post-assessment scores for this item. Conclusion: The findings are favorable in terms of effectiveness of provided education, and also align with the prior understanding of positive receptivity to CIM. Further exploration and implementation of themes incorporating CIM into psychiatric treatment are warranted. Keywords: psychiatry, massage therapy, depression, anxiety, stress, CIM, mental health MASSAGE THERAPY 6 Massage Therapy for Anxiety and Depression Introduction It has been shown that the integration of Complementary and Alternative Modalities (CIM) into community mental health practice is promising for the enhancement of mental health outcomes and improving quality of life for individuals under psychiatric care (Collinge et al., 2015). However, psychiatric care within the United States is largely predicated upon the use of allopathic treatment, which typically consists of psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. The use of CIM as treatment is both undervalued and underutilized, despite the willingness of over 50% of those with mood or anxiety disorder to seek and use such treatments (Lake & Turner, 2017). There is adequate literature demonstrating the positive effects of various forms of CIM for treatment of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. In a 2012 study by the Bravewell Collaborative, it was shown that complementary and integrative therapies are beneficial as part of the treatment plan for psychiatric disorders, with depression and anxiety among the five major health issues for which CIM is shown to impart the most benefit (Horrigan et al., 2012). However, the incorporation of CIM such as massage therapy into the standard treatment plan remains uncommon. Utilizing treatments such as massage therapy in the psychiatric setting could improve patient outcomes by reducing symptoms and increasing patient satisfaction. Problem Statement The need for increased use of complementary and integrative modalities (CIM), such as massage therapy, for individuals with depression and anxiety is indicated by inadequate symptom management with the use of more conventional treatment options, including psychopharmacology. These standard modalities also typically have more associated risks and side effects than CIM. This situation results from