Our HISTORYNPHTI’s RootsWith respect to the history of teaching child hypnosis in the US, the first three-day workshop devoted solely to children was conducted by Gail Gardner, PhD and Karen Olness, MD in Philadelphia in 1976, followed by workshops at annual meetings of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH), at meetings of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) and the 1979 meeting of the International Society of Hypnosis (ISH) meeting in Melbourne, Australia. Franz Baumann, MD and Josephine Hilgard, PhD joined them in some of the early workshops. Gardner and Olness published the first edition of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children in 1981 (go to Hypnosis Resources for later editions of this seminal text). The origins of annual 3-day teaching of introductory pediatric hypnosis skills in the United States began in 1987 at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP) with a groundbreaking cadre of clinicians-teachers-researchers specializing in developmental-behavioral pediatrics. These trail-blazing experts, Drs. Karen Olness, Daniel Kohen, Candace Erickson, Leora Kuttner, Jud Reaney, and Lonnie Zeltzer, (adding Rev. James Warnke in 1993) taught workshops at various venues for 25 years. During this period, a few more faculty joined (Drs. Melanie Gold, Laurence Sugarman, Pamela Kaiser, and Bob Deutsch) joined later. Intermediate and Advanced workshops were added by 1988 and 1989 respectively to meet the growing needs expressed by pediatric professionals. NPHTI’s Early YearsIn 2009 the trainings under the auspices of SDBP ceased, as this core faculty decided to formalize our endeavors and launch an educational organization called the National Pediatric Hypnosis Training Institute (NPHTI = nifty!). Drs. Pamela Kaiser and Dan Kohen stepped forward as co-founders and co-directors of education to build upon a pediatric-specific hypnosis training program. NPHTI’s #1 goal was to become the premier pediatric-specific hypnosis training organization in North America. Using a three-pronged strategic plan, we designed a cutting-edge curriculum and personalized training for clinicians, while retaining the highly successful format (didactic-demonstration-small group skills practice). To maximize our learners’ learning, memory, and confidence, we turned to current research about social- and adult-learning methods and state-of-the-art techniques for visual presentation. We drew heavily from this knowledge to develop nuanced, precise, child-focused learning beyond what was offered by the four existing professional hypnosis organizations which had a minimal focus on pediatric hypnosis. Our top priority became experiential learning: over half the training now focusing on hypnosis skills practice. To achieve this goal, our second strategy is a focus on faculty development. Faculty embraced these standards of excellence. Their presentations now feature video clips of hypnosis sessions, large group discussion and exercises, and principles of visual design taught at Stanford University. Across the training levels, content emphasizes developmental differences and weaves in perspectives of self-regulation, Erickson (utilization) and Yapko (discernment) in order to teach learners how to individualize hypnosis goals and strategies. Marketing is our third strategy to achieve NPHTI’s goal. Given our budget limitations, our faculty contributes time to annually target many professional organizations by sending announcements to listservs, writing newsletter articles, and representing and promoting NPHTI training during their other professional hypnosis teaching endeavors.
NPHTI’s Growth and ImpactThe impact of pediatric hypnosis for the world’s children is profound, yet hard to quantify. To date, more than 1000 pediatric clinicians from 15 countries, representing all health professions, have taken their new skill—therapeutic hypnosis—back to their work settings. It is likely that those integrating hypnosis into their daily clinical practice have taught hundreds of thousands of children and teens an exciting and fun new method—using mental imagery—to help themselves strengthen their resilience and well-being. Enrollment growth is evidence of NPHTI’s rising reputation as the “top of the line” educational organization for professionals seeking pediatric-specific hypnosis training.
Faculty expansion was essential to meet this flourishing demand. We recruited sixteen additional talented, experienced pediatric clinicians for intensive training in 2012 and 2014, with the intention to supplement our Senior faculty team’s diverse expertise. From four countries (Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and U.S.), these volunteer clinicians demonstrate professional and personal qualities that blend with our philosophy and offer new perspectives and fresh ideas toward ongoing NPHTI’s ongoing evolution. Plans for further faculty expansion in 2020 were postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ongoing faculty development occurs through collaboration and consultation, as well as by cultivation of leadership and opportunities for broadened teaching expertise. Recognition and appreciation of their individual and collective contributions remains important: our faculty are the heart of our organization. Building on NPHTI’s niche—the only pediatric-specific professional hypnosis training organization in North America—is ongoing. Curricular refinement, as well as updating forms and other materials, is accomplished annually, based in part upon learners’ and faculty feedback. Other growth projects that address NPHTI’s Vision and Mission include:
Faculty contributions:
Organizational improvements and accountability:
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