FAQ

I work as a _________ [or I am in training for ________]. Can I attend NPHTI workshops?
Please see our eligibility criteria for specific details of whether you qualify for NPHTI training. NPHTI provides training only to licensed health professionals (with a master’s level degree or higher, or in training for such qualifications) to teach patients/clients how to use hypnosis within their professional scope of practice. If you cannot determine whether or not you qualify after reading our criteria, please contact us.

Will the populations of children I see who have condition “X” benefit from hypnotherapy?
Hypnosis is an evidence-based treatment supported by well-designed scientific studies for a variety of pediatric health conditions — acute and chronic, mental and physical. We refer you to a 2014 journal article by NPHTI Co-founders and Co-directors of Education Drs. Dan Kohen and Pamela Kaiser, for a comprehensive overview of these applications. Similarly, NPHTI faculty are responsible for two seminal textbooks that further review this decades-long body of scientific evidence (Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy with Children by Drs. Dan Kohen and Karen Olness, and Therapeutic Hypnosis with Children and Adolescents co-edited by Dr. Laurence Sugarman, and many of our faculty have published about specific applications of hypnosis for various conditions. All NPHTI workshop participants receive an extensive, proprietary bibliography that is organized by condition (e.g. “headaches”).

I mostly work with adults. Is NPHTI right for me?
Possibly, depending upon the focus of the work and the developmental capacity of the adults with whom you work. At NPHTI, our focus is on developmental aspects of hypnosis, which can be salient for situations such as parenting stress; developmental or intellectual disabilities; or the transition to young adulthood. We suggest that you look at our past and current brochures on the website to get a sense of the breadth of topics we cover, to see if our objectives seem appropriate for your needs. Feel free to contact us if you remain unsure.

I’ve taken the NPHTI Fundamentals level workshop in the past (or took the Introductory Workshop under the auspices of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics prior to 2010), but I’m not sure if I’m ready for the next level (Utilization and Expanded Clinical Applications) training right now. Would it be worthwhile for me to retake a Fundamentals Workshop?
Taking another Fundamentals workshop is very valuable for professionals who want to expand their existing hypnosis skills and/or use more formal hypnosis as part of their therapeutic repertoire. Clinicians often do so if they haven’t been using formal hypnosis much in their practice since attending their first workshop. We have had many who have taken this path over the years and they uniformly tell us afterwards how much more they learned the second time around. We believe that this happens because people have changed significantly in their practice and knowledge over the time between their first and subsequent Fundamental workshops which means that they hear and absorb new learning. Importantly, the evidence base upon which we continually evolve the Fundamentals workshop is deeper and broader than ever, thanks to new scientific literature in pediatric hypnosis; each year we change some talks, change some speakers, and add new topics and new ways to approach hypnotic phenomena and skills. Over the years we’ve also significantly increased the time spent in small group practices during the Fundamentals workshop.

I’ve taken the Utilization (previously Intermediate) or Individualized Consultation (Advanced) course in the past; does it make sense to return for further workshops?
Those who have taken the Utilization or Individualized Consultation NPHTI workshops in the past are invited to consider taking another Utilization Workshop to further enhance development of skills in specific areas that vary from year to year, led by guest faculty with expertise in these areas. Throughout the year we are consistently working on updating and creating new workshop content, and are confident that attending again can enhance and deepen your practice. We also encourage you to contact us to seek out further Individualized Consultation with one of our ASCH Approved Consultant faculty.

I’ve attended Fundamental (or higher level) hypnosis training through other organizations and/or have extensive experience teaching hypnosis skills to children or teens; can skip the NPHTI Fundamentals workshop and attend Intermediate or Advanced workshops?
No. In general, we require those new to NPHTI begin with our Fundamentals workshop because of our unique methodology for teaching clinicians hypnosis, including in particular our focus upon its developmental aspects and pediatric-specific utilization. While there may be some overlap between what you already know/do and what we teach in our Fundamental workshop, we are confident that you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find new approaches with us in Fundamentals which will strengthen and evolve your work. Our confidence in this is based upon how even long-time master clinicians with extensive expertise in hypnosis have attended our Fundamental workshops and have consistently told us happily of the important new learnings, insights, and discoveries gleaned during the workshop.

Will I be able to use hypnosis after my first Introductory workshop with NPHTI?
Yes! Our Fundamentals course is tailor-made to ensure your comfort, confidence, and competence in beginning to utilize these principles “starting on Monday” after you return back to your workplace! We also have an active, outstanding, world-class Listserv/Google Group that our participants may join FREE after their first workshop with us. The NPHTI Listserv encourages ongoing dialogue between faculty and your colleagues alike about how to work with children and adolescents hypnotically.

What kind of certification can I obtain after completing a NPHTI workshop?
NPHTI workshops are planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), and are typically designated for the appropriate hours of Category 1 AMA PRA credits of CME, as well as Continuing Education (CE) credits from other relevant disciplinary credentialing groups (e.g. nurse practitioners, social workers, psychologists, and marital and family therapists). The specific types of credits available can vary by type of workshop, so please refer to the specific registration information for the workshop you plan to attend for full details. At the end of each workshop, NPHTI automatically provides a continuing education certificate attesting to “X” hours of training you attended over the three days. These hours, which are kept on file by our accreditation provider, can be used for your license renewal. Upon workshop completion, all attendees receive this document, attesting to the number of hours of training received. If you are a member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH), these hours also count toward ASCH certification.

In addition, a display-quality Certificate of Participation (suitable for framing/wall hanging) is available for purchase at the completion of every workshop. Hanging these certificates within your work setting offers visible documentation of your training. Such a display provides evidence to health care colleagues and administrators of your expanding repertoire in integrative health modalities and may contribute to patients’ trust and confidence.

Certificates of competence are awarded to clinicians who successfully meet predetermined standards for knowledge, skills and competencies by completing an assessment process (e.g. oral, practical and/or written exam) offered by the American Boards of Hypnosis in Medicine, Psychology, Dentistry, Nursing, or Social Work. While there are plans for the future, NPHTI does not yet offer a specific pediatric certificate of competence.

What credentials are required to use clinical hypnosis within my practice settings? Will NPHTI give me these credentials?
Credentials to practice hypnosis in your areas of expertise and training will vary according to your local and regional standards of care. For most of our workshop participants, there is no special requirement to be credentialed to practice hypnosis after they’ve completed their training with us. Occasionally a hospital or health care system may require a review of our course materials before they grant credentials to practice this skill-set with patients. In addition to our Certificate of Participation (see above), we are happy to provide individualized guidance and/or letters of support on these matters on a case-by-case basis if they arise after our workshop participants return home and begin practicing hypnosis with their patients.

Are you a part of a larger organization?
No. NPHTI is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational corporation, and since NPHTI’s inception our workshops have been co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota Medical School Department of Pediatrics and the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis (which is itself also a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and, in turn, an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis). In addition to these co-sponsors, in recent years we have had ACCME Accreditation for workshops and our monthly webinar program by the Minnesota Medical Association. We have also provided workshops co-sponsored by regional children’s hospitals including Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and Nationwide Children’s Hospital (The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH) and Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital (Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH). Prior to being organized as NPHTI, we were sponsored for 24 years by the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SDBP).

Do you provide scripts to assist clinicians working in the field?
No. There are many reasons for this, which we teach during all levels at our workshops. For example, we are working to meet children “where they are,” both in terms of hypnotic readiness/skills and also their developmental level, so our workshops are very heavily influenced by the work of pioneers in our field such as Milton Erickson, MD and others who practice the so-called “utilization” approach to hypnotherapeutic work. Of course, you’ll complete our Fundamental workshop having developed some of your own “scripts” by using communication techniques that you find can be healing, helpful, and meaningful — a great many of which are probably things you’re doing already but didn’t yet know could be called “hypnosis”!

Do you provide forms/ materials such as waivers, marketing information, etc.?
No, but these topics are covered and discussed during various presentations including “Ethics.” These topics are also often discussed one-on-one with our expert faculty during and after the workshops, and with faculty and peers on the NPHTI Listserv/Google Group (which functions as a “living archive” of such materials shared by peers and colleagues). Finally, those who attend NPHTI workshops become part of our wider referral network.

I looked on your website and in your brochure, and it seems my professional society isn’t accredited for continuing education for your course. How can I get continuing professional education credits for attending your workshop?
While we endeavor to ensure that all health professionals across disciplines receive continuing education credits for our workshops, there are occasional issues that make this problematic. We recommend that you register for the course early, since our registration does tend to fill early, and contact us and your professional body as soon as possible to understand what will be required for you and/or NPHTI to make an appeal to that body for appropriate accreditation. We will do everything we can (short of paying additional unmanageable fees to these organizations), such as writing letters and/or statements to make an application on your behalf, to allow you to receive fair and appropriate credit for participating in our evidence-based training program. This kind of situation has rarely resulted in anyone being unable to participate without receiving appropriate credit.

Will you ever have a workshop in my area?
We hope and expect to provide workshops around the U.S., and as noted above, have begun to do so. Please make sure you are on our mailing list and we will be pleased to add you to all future announcements. You can also contact us if you’d like to discuss hosting NPHTI for a regional workshop, group training with you and your colleagues, or an in-service at your institution. Specifically, if you are interested in bringing a NPHTI workshop to your community / children’s hospital / university pediatric department please contact us so we can send you our FAQ Documents designed to answer specific questions about how we can collaborate to bring NPHTI to you.

Do you offer individualized consultation towards ASCH certification?
In addition to our Individualized Consultation (previously known as Advanced) level trainings which count toward Individualized Consultation certification hours with ASCH, many of our faculty are ASCH-approved consultants who can provide fee-for-service Individualized Consultations, in-person and/or remotely. Please contact us for further information.