Training in pediatric hypnosis has been part of clinical hypnosis education in the United States since 1976. Workshops expanded over time and are now taught by highly experienced pediatric clinicians across the globe. In 1987, a small vanguard of North American faculty, academic pediatricians, and pediatric psychologists taught a 3-day pediatric hypnosis workshop at the national meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP). This model of annual tri-level concurrent workshops (introductory, intermediate, and advanced) was sponsored by the SDBP for 24 years. In 2009, the National Pediatric Hypnosis Training Institute (NPHTI) assembled, and in 2010, offered its first annual workshops. This article documents this history of pediatric hypnosis education and describes NPHTI's remodeling and ongoing refinement toward a state-of-the-art curriculum with innovative methodology based upon (1) current research about adult experiential and small group learning; (2) design principles for presentations that maximize adult learning and memory; and (3) evaluations by participants and faculty. These underpinnings-including clinical training videos, individualized learning choices, emphasis on personalized, goal-oriented sessions, and advances in faculty selection, and ongoing development-are applicable to adult training models. Integration of developmental and self-regulation strategies may be more unique to pediatric hypnosis skills training programs. The conclusion proposes expansion of pediatric hypnosis education and elimination of related barriers toward goals that all children learn self-hypnosis (SH) for mind-body health.
Keywords: adolescence; hypnosis; pediatrics; skill development; teacher training.