"... many people aren’t aware that there are options for private therapy!"

We love Neurofeedback Therapy for so many reasons!

Our top reason is seeing the benefits in people— including our own staff and families. There are so many great success stories and lives improved by this treatment. It’s also a relaxing and easy experience for most of our clients, with some even sleeping through their sessions.

It can help in so many ways, and clients come back saying they notice improvements in different areas of their lives, including happiness levels, better relationships, decreased pain and physical problems, better focus and sleep, and all from the same sessions!

Want to see your own progress? You can! It's so fun to be able to see an image of your own brain before and after treatments.

So, why don’t more people know about and do Neurofeedback? 

We get this question a lot! Neurofeedback is definitely not as widely used as it should or could be, despite it being safe and effective.

Personally, I think it mostly has to do with these three factors:

1) Knowledge and specialization of practitioners 

2) Barrier to access for the practitioners and/or the client

3) Variations in available equipment and protocols 

1.  Knowledge and Specialization of Practitioners:

Neurofeedback therapy is a specialization, which means going above and beyond the current Masters and PhD level programming in psychology or counselling. Psychologists who offer this treatment have to take additional training and certification to do it. This can add months or years of time to their education, (not to mention the associated costs.)

After finally completing their education in the field of psychology, practitioners begin their careers under the supervision of another practitioner. It can be a challenge to even find a supervisor willing to take on someone new to the field. So, when supervision begins, the types of treatment offered are limited to what the supervisor is competent in. This means new practitioners are more likely to be trained to use the most common treatment types, like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Practitioners also need to consider if learning a specific treatment is ‘worth it.’  For example, will it help the types of people coming to see the practitioner? Who is the practitioner trained to treat? What are the biggest concerns of these people? Does the practitioner want to keep helping people in this area, or start treating a different group?

For these reasons, and many others, most practitioners will choose not to specialize in Neurofeedback, choosing other (or no additional) specializations. 

When there are fewer practitioners using a modality, it will be less well-known, regardless of how effective or beneficial it is. 

2. Barrier to Access for the Practitioners and/or the Client

Not only does Neurofeedback require specialized knowledge and experience, but it also requires purchasing special hardware and software. This can build another barrier. 

Cost often factors into a psychologist’s decision-making about whether to specialize in Neurofeedback or not. Imagine being a broke graduate (after already completing a minimum of six years and up to ten or more years of schooling), wondering if you should keep studying and spending money to become even more specialized in one treatment type. 

Clients can also have a hard time accessing treatment due to the cost and time commitment. It would be nice if the public health system offered Neurofeedback as a treatment method, but they don’t right now (for similar reasons as listed here) and so private practices are the primary options for receiving this treatment. As we know, not everyone can afford this. 

Still, many people aren’t aware that there are options for private therapy! How can we expect people to know what practices can't offer when most of us barely know what a clinic does offer?

All of this builds into a cycle of Neurofeedback remaing a less-known treatment. When Neurofeedback is discovered, it can then be disregarded because of the cost, intial time commitment, or the time it can take to establish results. Neurofeedback might not be as quick as some medications, but it also doesn’t just ‘wear off’ over a number of hours, like medication does.  

3.  Lack of Standardization of Equipment and Protocols 

Last but not least, there is not just one way of doing Neurofeedback. Just like there is not only one way to do counselling, or just one single medication available to treat a particular disorder, there are:

• Several different software programs. (Eg: Some with limitations to purchasing – like only to a certain kind of licensed professional; some without – like open to the general public to purchase and use.)  

• Some variation in hardware (Eg: type of computer running the program, type of treatment machine, type of sensor and usage – like dry or wet.) 

• Major protocol variation (Eg: where on the head to train and what brainwaves to train.) 

Given this, Neurofeedack is not "standardized" in the way we often think: "Take one pill, each 10g, ever day for 10 days, then you'll be all better!"

There are countless ways that Neurofeedback can be done. It is up to the practitioners themselves to engage in the appropriate amount of training and continuing education and practice within their scope of competency.

And, this isn't a bad thing either! For more examples on the benefits of treating individuals rather than "norms" see our blog post on the troubles with the medical model, get to know Dr. Claude, or learn about the Bio-Psycho-Social approach.

In psychology, we have ethical standards and legal guidelines in the Health Professions Act to abide by.  For example, like doctors, we have an ethical obligation to do no harm and, better yet, to do good.  Usually, this is done by utilizing scientifically researched best practices and modalities within our competency levels. If you want to do your due diligence as a person interested in psychological intervention, you can ask practitioners what education they have, what training or other certifications they may have, how many years they have been practicing Neurofeedback specifically, and how competent they feel to treat your presenting concern. 

I hope this gives you some food for thought about Neurofeedback Therapy. If you have been considering trying it or have heard about it but are a little cautious about committing to it, know that we are always happy to discuss more. anytime and help you determine if NF can help support your mental health. 

If you’d like to learn or discuss more, and determine if Neurofeedback can help support your mental health, get in touch HERE or sign-up to receive Neurofeedback Info HERE 💙.

References 

Huang, W., Wu, W., Lucas, M. V., Huang, H., Wen, Z., & Li, Y. (2021). Neurofeedback training with an electroencephalogram-based brain-computer interface enhances emotion regulation. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. Doi.10.1109/TAFFC.2021.3134183 

Vlachou, J. A., Polychroni, F., Drigas, A. S., & Economou, A. (2022). Neurofeedback and ADHD. International Journal of Recent Contributions from Engineering, Science & IT (iJES), 10(01), 47-56. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v10i01.29079 

Disclaimer

Our content is for informational and educational purposes and is not a replacement for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you're facing mental health concerns, please seek help from a qualified professional for personalized guidance. Every individual's situation is unique, so use the information here at your discretion. While we strive for accuracy, the field of psychology is ever-evolving, and our content may not always reflect the latest research. Please prioritize your privacy by avoiding sharing personal information in comments or interactions. Your well-being is our top concern, so use our content for educational purposes, but remember to rely on professionals for your specific needs.

Edited and reformatted for 2025. Originally published 2023.