IMT History / Organization
The Institute of Integrative Manual Therapy (IIMT) has a clinical arm, an educational arm, and a research arm. IMT practitioners either treat patients at IMT clinics or at independent practices, hospitals, etc. Clinics are located both in the US and internationally, and are headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
IMT seminars are presented worldwide through Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation (DCR). A Diploma is offered through the Connecticut School of Integrative Manual Therapy (CSIMT). Today, there are over 150 IMT courses per year taught worldwide.
In 2001, the Connecticut School of Integrative Manual Therapy became authorized as a private occupational school in the state of CT. The three-year diploma program trains health care and non health care professionals to be experts in the field of diagnostics and treatment of IMT. Following completion of the diploma program, graduates are eligible to sit for certification and become Certified IMT practitioners. This certification program is affiliated with Westbrook University.
DCR was set up by Mary Fiorentino, OT, to bring continued education in manual therapy to health care practitioners. In 1986, DCR was passed on to Sharon Giammatteo, Ph.D., I.M.T.,C., and has subsequently focused on IMT education.
Research and development at The Institute of Integrative Manual Therapy is constant. New techniques and protocols are created on a regular basis, based on clinical research and patient care. Currently, there are many IMT practitioners who are focusing their doctoral research on the field of IMT. This research is focused across all patient populations and includes research into the fields of autism, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's.
In 2006, The Institute of Integrative Manual Therapy in Bloomfield, CT set up a dedicated research lab to do biologic research in the field of IMT. This venture sets the IIMT apart as leaders in the field of investigation and clinical research of manual therapies. We are currently seeking out both federally funded and private grants to pursue clinical research in this field.
In August 2003, the IMT professional community initiated the Integrative Manual Therapy Association (IMTA) http://www.imtassociation.org/. The IMTA is a professional association for IMT practitioners independent of IIMT. It supports individual practitioners, and promotes IMT as a health care profession. Our goal for the future is to launch IMT Global Health, which will be a foundation that subsidizes special clinical programs in IMT, prepares grants for clinical research and patient care funding, and supports clinical research in IMT. As IMT continues to evolve, it aims to extend its reach globally and to other health care disciplines. True to its multi-disciplinary origins, IMT will continue to communicate with, learn from and train professionals from all health care disciplines in order to ultimately provide patients with optimal care.