Grand Rounds Sessions with Linda Walker

Due to popular request, the BFE is beginning two new series of grand rounds on Anxiety and Z-Scores.

So what exactly are BFE grand rounds?
•    they are an opportunity to hear case presentations on assessing and treating clients from specific populations or using certain clinical paradigms; and
•    they are your chance to present your own client case to a group of clinicians, and get an expert's opinion on how best to proceed.

The leader for these sessions will be Linda Walker, MHR, LPC.  Linda is an experienced clinician with extensive knowledge of biofeedback who also has superb teaching skills. These attributes, combined with her easy going manner, make her one of our highest rated online instructors. Linda has previously taught online classes on Heart Rate Variability, Tinnitus and Neurofeedback, and Z-Scores and she presented two in-person workshops at the BFE's Rome meeting this past spring. Whether you're new to the field or have been using biofeedback for a while, we invite you to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Anxiety Grand Rounds
Time: 11am - 12pm eastern time (Canada/US), corresponding to 17:00-18:00 in Germany/France/Italy
Dates: Tuesday November 17th, December 1st, December 15th

The first session on November 17th will focus on Linda Walker presenting several cases of evaluation and training of clients with anxiety-based issues. Examples of both biofeedback and neurofeedback will reviewed as intervention options.
The second and third sessions, on December 1st and 15th, will be opportunities for attending clinicians to present their client cases to Linda, in order to get an expert opinion. Linda will provide her interpretation of the assessment data and suggestions on what type of intervention that would provide the greatest benefit to the clinician's client.
Please note that submitted cases should focus on anxiety-based sources.
Click here to register.

Z-Scores Grand Rounds
Time: 12pm - 1pm eastern time (Canada/US), corresponding to 18:00-19:00 in Germany/France/Italy
Dates: Thursday November  19th, December 3rd, December 17th

The first session on November 19th will focus on Linda Walker presenting several cases of evaluation and training of clients with the use Z-Scores. Z-Scores is the normative-based neurofeedback training based on Dr. Robert Thatcher's Neuroguide Database.
The second and third sessions, on December 3rd and 17th, will be opportunities for attending clinicians to present their client cases to Linda, in order to get an expert opinion. Linda will provide her interpretation of the Z-Score assessment data and suggestions on how to proceed with neurofeedback training for the particular circumstance.
Click here to register.

About Linda Walker, MHR, LPC
Linda Walker is a licensed professional counselor and school counselor who holds a master's degree

in Human Relations and Counseling from the University of Oklahoma and post graduate certificates in substance abuse and school counseling from Western Michigan University.

In her private practice working with a general population, Linda integrates a variety of methods with an extensive focus on biofeedback, neuorfeedback and QEEG. In addition, she teaches biofeedback and neurofeedback at Western Michigan University and serves as president of the Midwest Society of Behavioral Medicine and Biofeedback.

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If any of you are interested in attending either of these series, please use the links above or below to register. Due to the nature of case conferences, there is limited room for attendees so please join as soon as possible.
Anxiety Grand Rounds
Z-Scores Grand Rounds

Biofeedback for Mental Health

We are "blogging for mental health" to talk about an adjunctive treatment that clinicians around the world use in their practice's every day, but is not widely known. Special thanks to the American Psychological Association for organizing this event and to everyone who has chosen to take part and share their voice. 

There are a variety of approaches used by mental health practitioners to treat mental illnesses. They include: pharmacological, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and interpersonal. There are also a number of therapy formats: individual therapy, group therapy, couple's therapy and family therapy. The variety of approaches and formats allow clinicians to tailor their approach to suit the clients' needs. 

One technique that we don't hear much about is biofeedback. Biofeedback is a process by which an individual can learn how to change physiological activity in order to improve their health and performance.

"If you can't measure it, you can't improve it."

William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (yup, he's the guy they named the unit of measure after) once said, "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." Well, biofeedback allows one to do precisely that. During a biofeedback session, physiological activity such as skin temperature, heart rate, respiration, muscle tension and brainwaves are monitored and the information is fed back to the therapist and user. 

As a counsellor, one employs a variety of cognitive strategies with their clients because some respond better certain techniques over others. Adding biofeedback to the toolbox can enhance the efficacy of other therapeutic techniques. For example, monitoring a person's stress response during breath training, an autogenic session or guided imagery can confirm whether they are actually relaxing or if they are gaining no benefit. In the biofeedback image example below, the anxious subject is coached to relax in order to make the tree grow. As they activating their parasympathetic nervous system, their finger temperature rises, and the animated tree grows.

There are many applications for biofeedback and mental health. This past February at our annual meeting in Venice, Italy, presenters discussed the use of biofeedback for ADHD, OCD, Aspergers and Autism, Stress, Addictions, Anxiety and Depression among other topics. Whether you are a clinician, someone with a mental health challenge or someone who wants to learn ways to keep stress at bay and maintain good mental health, we invite you to learn more about biofeedback!

A great introduction to the subject can be found on YouTube at: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a53LA7aL2Og

We invite you to view a recent webinar presented by Linda Walker, MHR, LPC, BCN, BCB on How Biofeedback Benefits Your Clients and Your Practice.
https://vimeo.com/94453638

Biofeedback for Mental Health

First, I would like to commend the folks at the Carter Center for their ongoing efforts to draw attention to mental health concerns while reducing the stigma that is associated with them and to PsychCentral for the great work they do. Thanks also to everyone who has taken the time to share their own insights by joining the “blog party”. What a great concept!

In my role as Education Manager at the BFE, I have had the opportunity to learn about the work of many mental health professionals around the world who have incorporated biofeedback and neurofeedback into their practices. Our field has such great potential but remains virtually unknown to so many. 

So what is biofeedback?

The AAPB (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback) website sums it up nicely:

“Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately "feed back" information to the user. The presentation of this information — often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior — supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.”

Approved May 18, 2008 by:
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA)
International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR)

Quite simply, biofeedback is like a window into the self. A good example to illustrate this is stress. In today’s fast paced world we are all familiar with stress and the negative impact it can have on our health. Most people can identify when they are feeling stressed, but may not be aware that during stressful periods their heart rate speeds up, their respiration rate increases and their muscles may be tense. With knowledge of these physiological changes comes the power to regulate them.  

Biofeedback has been widely used by a variety of health professionals in the treatment of disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and PTSD to name a few.  In fact the focus of the upcoming North Carolina Biofeedback Society’s annual meeting (for which we are a sponsor) is “Trauma and the Mind-Body Connection”.  The conference, taking place November 2-4, 2012, provides a great opportunity for mental health providers to learn how they can incorporate biofeedback into their practice.

Other good resources are the AAPB (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback), the ISNR (International Society for Neurofeedback and Research) and the BCIA (Biofeedback Certification International Alliance). All three websites provide a wealth of information for professionals as well as anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating field.  Also, check out this link for a crash course on biofeedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u1v3xRCqu8 

A Bit About Us...
The BFE Learn From the Best program provides continuing education via conferences, seminars, workshops, internet courses, and software for professionals around the world. Content is developed independently by International Research & Education Project teams. Financial support comes from the Biofeedback Federation CIC, a non-profit Community Interest Corporation located in the UK. For more information, visit the BFE Online Shop. The next BFE Annual Conference is scheduled to take place February 11-15, 2014 in Venice, Italy.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

Carol Meyers

Education Manager

education@bfe.org