Biofeedback and Continuing Education

If you are a psychologist in the United States of America, depending on which state you are licensed in, you may need a few or a large number of continuing education credits each year to maintain your license.

There are many topics to choose from to study.  Some are an absolute must like ethics.  Others are optional.  Since subjects like brain plasticity and the poly vagal theory have really taken off over the last several years, subjects that incorporate mind body technology and therapy have become of more interest to psychologists.

Biofeedback uses instruments that measure and feedback signals from the body including surface EMG (Electromyograph) for muscle activity, skin temperature for peripheral blood flow, skin conductance for sweat activity, Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability for cardiovascular responses, and Respiration for breathing.  Neurofeedback uses instruments that measure EEG (Electroencephalograph) which measures and shows brain activity.  Through reinforcement the subject can learn to change the activity to improve mind-body wellness.  It can also be used to monitor changes to physiology caused by other therapy modalities.

With an accredited course a psychologist can receive continuing education credit while learning about biofeedback and neurofeedback or other mind body tools.  The BCIA, Biofeedback Certification International Alliance, offers certification in biofeedback and neurofeedback and maintains a list of accredited courses, some of which offer continuing education credit for psychologists.

There are also organizations that offer courses that include continuing education credit.  Some of them include mind body science and techniques like biofeedback and neurofeedback.  Here are a few of the organizations that I am familiar with.  I have attended courses at their conferences:

AAPB (The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback) aapb.org, NRBS (The Northeast Regional Biofeedback Society) nrbs.org, ABPsi (Association of Black Psychologists) abpsi.org, MABS (Mid-Atlantic Biofeedback Society mabs.us; Southeast Biofeedback and Clinical Neuroscience Association sebiofeedback.org.

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