Creative Therapy Consultants | Infant-Driven Education

Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification (NTMC)™

NTMC is an exclusively neonatal, one-of-a-kind certification for neonatal healthcare providers. It combines a holistic, neonatal and systems theory approach to massage, with an emphasis on families and nurturing opportunities, while elevating the standard of care that neonatal caregivers provide in their daily practice.

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Neonatal On-Line Education, Seminars and Workshops

Creative Therapy Consultants provides innovative educational opportunities both on-line and in person. Participants are able to change practice and implement new techniques immediately upon returning to their NICU. Best of all, the programs can be completely customized to meet your NICU’s needs!

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I really enjoyed your style of teaching/presentation, including hands on, video and a complete handout. I appreciate the collaboration for all the disciplines. Continue the good work!

Christine Jordan, SLP

This was an extremely helpful online education opportunity which gave me some great review as well as new insight into what I can bring to my NICU babes, parents, and other staff in my NICU. Thank you!

Cristina, OT

Amazing and current literature resources and overall content!

Jacquelyn Molina MS, CCC-SLP

Excellent training experience: Presenters were so positive and it was evident that they have a contagious passion for giving the best care to our littlest humans. I feel empowered to better care for my patients and their families.

Danielle Brinkmeier, RN

OMG! What an amazing day!! You were absolutely amazing and I appreciate everything you had to say. I learned so much today. I thought I was doing things correctly, but I learned today that I wasn’t.

Stephanie Wrobel, RT

As a new OT in the NICU this was great information! I have an amazing and experienced mentor, but I loved gaining information from current research and sharing it with her as well!

Catherine Boatright, OTR/L

Loved it – Loved your teaching style and knowledge. Thank you for sharing your passion with the world and making the NICU a better place! Wonderful course, wonderful presenter, wonderful experience! It’s very difficult to find an advanced course specifically for the NICU and this course delivered!!

Christina Dougherty, SLP-CCC

Updates

Fall 2026

November brings cooler temperatures, shorter days, and a chance to slow down and reflect. As we settle into a new season, it’s also a wonderful time to reconnect with our purpose, celebrate the work we do, and recognize the people who make a difference in the lives of babies and families every day.

Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month, a time to recognize the millions of babies born too soon and the families and healthcare professionals who walk alongside them during their NICU journey.

At Creative Therapy Consultants (CTC), we believe every interaction with a premature infant matters. The NICU environment can be overwhelming, but intentional touch, responsive caregiving, developmental support, and meaningful family involvement can help create moments of comfort, connection, and protection during a vulnerable time.

Remembering One of Our NTMC Family Members

With heavy hearts, we remember and honor one of our own NTMC family members, Kellie Pflugh-Revels, who passed away in late September 2026 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Kellie joined our NTMC family in 2019 and was deeply dedicated to caring for countless babies and their families as an SLP in the NICU.

Her impact will live on through the babies, families, and colleagues whose lives she touched. Her commitment to neuroprotective, compassionate, and developmentally supportive care will remain a meaningful part of her legacy.

Summer 2026

NTMC 2026 Recertification Season is Underway!

We’re excited to see so many NTMC Professionals re-dedicating themselves to supporting infants and families through the latest evidence in Neuroprotective, Developmental, and Family-Centered Care. Don’t miss the NTMC Recertification deadline: August 31, 2026. Recertify today: https://www.neonatalcertification.com/recertification-registration/

Did you let your NTMC credential expire? We understand, life gets busy sometimes! We now offer two reactivation pathways to help you return to certification. Learn more about NTMC Reactivation: https://ctc.neonatalcertification.com/ntmc-reactivation

Proud Partners of the FCC Task Force

Creative Therapy Consultants and NTMC are proud partners of the Family-Centered Care (FCC) Task Force, an international collaborative dedicated to advancing Family-Centered Care in the NICU. We encourage you to explore their outstanding free educational resources, webinars, and implementation tools, including the Presence Study Toolkit. Developed by clinicians, researchers, and NICU parents, this practical resource helps NICUs strengthen parental presence, family engagement, kangaroo care, participation in rounds, and other evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for infants and families.

Links – https://fcctaskforce.org and https://fcctaskforce.org/parental-presence-toolkit

Spring 2026

Spring has sprung! We soared through the first quarter at Creative Therapy Consultants with five sold-out Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification^Ⓡ (NTMC) programs; we welcomed 227 new NTMC Professionals (RN, OT, PT, SLP, NNP, MD and DO)!

We look forward to seeing many of our current NTMC Family and meeting future NTMC Family members at the upcoming NANT 16 Conference – come visit us at Booth 207 – and at the ONE Conference (www.oneconf26.com) – don’t miss our NTMC Founder and Legacy Advisor, Kara Ann Waitzman speaking on Monday, May 4th and come visit us in the exhibit hall!

Enjoy the beauty of flowers blooming, birds chirping, and life emerging all around us during this changing season!

Kathi Randall, MSN, NNP-BC, CNS, NTMNC Welcomes Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification and Creative Therapy Consultants into the Synapse Care Solutions Family

Las Vegas, Nevada – December 23, 2025

In a heartfelt continuation of legacy and purpose, Kathi Randall, MSN, NNP-BC, CNS, NTMNC, President of Nurse Kathi Enterprises and Synapse Care Solutions, proudly announces that the Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification (NTMC) and its parent organization, Creative Therapy Consultants (CTC), will continue their work under her leadership and stewardship.

This transition reflects a shared commitment to advancing neuroprotective, developmental, family-centered, relationship-based NICU care—one baby, one family, one team at a time.

After more than twenty-five years of groundbreaking work, Kara Ann Waitzman, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, founder of Creative Therapy Consultants, is stepping into a new season. While easing into semi-retirement to spend more time with her family and continue hands-on NICU clinical care, Kara Ann remains deeply committed to putting humanity back in to neonatal care and mentoring the next generation of caregivers.

“This is not a goodbye—it’s the adoption of my baby,” said Waitzman. “I’ve had the joy of birthing and growing both CTC and NTMC into life-altering educational opportunities. When it came time to think about the future, I knew I wanted to entrust it—not sell it. Kathi Randall embodies the clinical excellence, integrity, and fierce love for babies, families, and NICU professionals that has always been at the core of my work.”

Infant-Driven Education

OUR MISSION: To improve the lives of babies and families internationally through excellent neonatal caregiver education and skill development.

OUR VISION: For each neonatal caregiver to understand the tremendous impact they have on the infants and families they serve, and to provide care accordingly.