Basic and Advanced Online Course in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

theories and practice 

Certified by

International Society of Psychology

Authors

Dr. Alessio Penzo

Dr. Loredana Scalini

Introduction

The professional practice of biofeedback requires a high level theoretical/scientific and practical skills; in most cases, the disorders treated with biofeedback are complex and require a depth knowledge of the mechanisms that underlie them and the way in which biofeedback acts on them.

In clinical practice the effectiveness of biofeedback depends on the ability of the biofeedback trainer to deal with situations which, in most cases, are not described in the classic theoretical manuals: the activity of the biofeedback trainer is also subject to a high degree of unpredictability which, especially at the beginning, requires a high level theoretical and practical skills which, for the health of patients, provides the necessary tools to deal competently with all (or almost) the new situations that will necessarily be encountered in real practice.

The aim of the course is to provide in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge based on the field research and on the direct clinical experience of the psychophysiologists bioffedback trainers operating at the center of Psychophysiology - Biofeedback and Neurofeedback in Rome.

The International Society of Psychology only certifies training courses that meet these requirements.

This course has been created in collaboration with the non-profit Association International Society of Psychology by Dr. Alessio Penzo, Psychologist, Psychophysiologist specialized in biofeedback and neurofeedback, operating for many years at the Psychophysiology and Psychology - Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Center in Rome.

The course is aimed at providing the student with theoretical and practical training on the method of biofeedback and neurofeedback.

To this end, the student can choose the version of the course provided with the training sensors (EMG, GSR, EKG and/or Temperature) to learn their real correct use and their operating principles without having to immediately buy and damage very expensive professional devices.

Thanks to the video lessons, the video tutorials, the protocols and  the biofeedback training devices provided with the course, the student will be able to acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary to apply the main biofeedback intervention protocols. 

This course provides the knowledge and skills necessary to operate as a biofeedback trainer; in order to operate as a biofeedback trainer it is necessary to refer to the laws of the country in which you want to operate.

For example, in Italy, in addition to the biofeedback training course, it is necessary to have at least a five-year degree in psychology or medicine, have the state qualification and be enrolled in the professional register.

Ease of learning

A peculiarity of this online biofeedback course that distinguishes it from the few others in circulation, is that it was created following strict quality standards, with the primary objective of being easily understood by students: all contents provided in the course are not "diluted" with irrelevant information, as often happens.

All the theoretical principles are explained in a clear and understandable way even to those who are not experts in psychophysiology (biofeedback is a psychophysiological technique).

The techniques and protocols provided are exclusively those that have proven to be most effective internationally and scientifically. All video tutorials are accompanied by subtitles to make learning easier even for those who are unfamiliar with spoken English.

The course also provides numerous practical examples derived from the long experience of the authors, with practical tips and advice essential for those who want to start the profession of biofeedback trainer.

The whole course is in English language spoken by a natural synthesis voice, through one of the most advanced text to speech engine in the world. The result is a natural, fluid language, well understandable even by those who are not native English speakers.

Theories and practice

The biofeedback and neurofeedback course is aimed at providing both in-depth theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge.

The theoretical knowledge must make the novice professional capable to understand the problems he/she will encounter in the particular setting of biofeedback; to this end, the novice professional must know the neurophysiological and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the pathologies he/she wants to treat, and must know the operating mechanisms of the tools and techniques he/she will use.

The practical knowledge provided is not limited only to the knowledge of the protocols, but especially to their practical application and to the problems that can typically be encountered during a real session.

For this reason the course is full of examples and valuable tips derived from the long experience of the authors.

Biofeedback online course details

• Course professor: Dr. Alessio Penzo (Psychophysiologist, Psychologist, Biofeedback-Neurofeedback Therapist)
• Collaborator: Dr. Loredana Scalini (Psychophysiologist, Psychologist, Biofeedback-Neurofeedback Therapist)
• Email support: yes
• Course spoken language: English
• Subtitles: yes (english)
• Type of Course: Online Video Course (4 years access to the web site)
• Duration of the Course: 35 Lessons (Video-Lessons)
• Video-tutorials: yes (15 video-tutorials)
• Maximum Time to complete the course: 1 year from the purchase date
• Who is it for: Psychophysiologists, Psychologists, Physician, other professional (depending on local laws)
• How to access the course: Download (.zip folders)
• Final Verification Test: Online Verification Tests (multiple choice answers)
• Handouts: yes
• Supervision: available
• Biofeedback device for home training: yes (free)
• Certification: Certified by International Society of Psychology (see below)
• Price: depends on the course version (see below)
• Paymant method: Bank transfer or Paypal (+5%)

The free optional biofeedback devices for professional home-training

To facilitate the learning of the principles on use of the electronic devices necessary for biofeedback training, the International Society of Psychology has partnered with an Italian IT company for the production of various types of portable sensors/devices:

• One channel EMG sensor/device - for electrode positioning training, surface electromyogram measurement and electromyographic biofeedback on any muscle.
• GSR-sensor/device - for the practical training of skin conductance biofeedback;
• Temperature sensor-device - for the practical training of temperature biofeedback.
• EKG sensor/device - for the practical training of cardiac biofeedback;

The purchase of the course entails the possibility of receiving one or more of the sensors/devices listed above for free at home. It is also possible to purchase the course version without the sensors.

The devices are supplied free of charge with the "sensor version courses" (see below), they are not medical devices but experimental prototypes intended for exclusively experimental use and only for the online course training purposes. Furthermore, the devices cannot be sold or transferred to third parties. The sensors are supplied in the form of easy-to-assemble kits (3 parts to be assembled in 5 minutes, with video guide).

Certification by International Society of Psychology

In Italy and other European countries, Biofeedback and Neurofeedback can only be practiced by psychologists and physicians, or by other health professionals under the supervision of a physician or psychologist.

The International Society of Psychology is a non-profit psychology and neuroscience association founded in 2011. It has become the largest association of psychologists in Italy with over 6000 members.

It carries out numerous activities of spreading psychology throughout the Italian territory and in the world, for example by promoting the figure of the primary care psychologist (the psychologist who supports the primary care physician, free of charge for patients) and providing psychologists with very high quality professional courses at low cost.

After passing the online verification test, the International Society of Psychology issues a regular completion course certificate like the following:

Purpose of the course

To provide the Professional with the theoretical-practical knowledge necessary to operate in a competent and aware way in the specific setting of biofeedback.

Course program

The course is structured in 5 sections and relative lessons:

Section 1 – Theories and basic concepts

1. Presentation
2. Introduction: what is biofeedback and what is it for?
3. The origins of electric currents
4. The origins of bioelectric signals
5. EMG Biofeedback
6. Respiration biofeedback
7. Temperature biofeedback
8. ECG and HRV biofeedback
9. GSR Biofeedback
10. EEG Biofeedback
11. Available Biofeedback systems (amplifiers, softwares and sensors)

Section 2 – Biofeedback applications and protocols

1. Psychophysiological (stress) profile
2. Biofeedback for Tension Type Headache
3. Biofeedback for migraine
4. Biofeedback for anxiety and panic attack
5. Biofeedback for stress management
6. Biofeedback for Primary Hypertension
7. Biofeedback for White Coat Hypertension
8. Biofeedback for low back pain
9. Biofeedback for acuphenes
10. Biofeedback for asthma
11. Biofeedback for irritable bowel syndrome
12. Biofeedback for fibromyalgia
13. Biofeedback for incontinence

Section 3 – One or two channels Neurofeedback applications and protocols

1. Introduction
2. Depression
3. OCD
4. ADHD/ADD
5. Epylepsy
6. Anxiety

Section 4 – Instructions for the use of the biofeedback training devices (only in sensor course versions) 

1. The EMG training sensor
2. The GSR sensor
3. The Temperature sensor
4. The EKG sensor

Section 5 – Exercise using the devices for professional autotraining (only in sensor course versions) 

1. EMG autotraining exercise
2. GSR autotraining exercise
3. Temperature autotraining exercise
4. ECG autotraining exercise
5. Conclusions

Course versions and prices

Depending on the desired number of sensors, you can choose one of the following purchase options (local taxes excluded):

• Section 1 (Theories and basic concepts) - €400,00
• Section 2 (Applications and protocols) - €1200,00
• Section 3 (Neurofeedback applications and protocols) - €700,00
• Sections 4 and 5 with 2 sensors - €300,00
• Sections 4 and 5 with 4 sensors - €500,00
• Complete Biofeedback Course with no sensor: € 1.500,00 
• Complete Biofeedback Course - 2 sensor kits: € 1700,00 
• Complete Biofeedback Course - 4 sensor kits: € 1.900,00

In the case of the course with 2 sensor kits, the student can choose which ones to receive.

The sensor kits are supplied free of charge and cannot be sold separately; the cost of the course increases with the increase in the number of lessons (sections 4 and 5) necessary to understand the use of paired sensors.

The prices are all taxes excluded and refer to the payment by bank transfer; the Paypal payment involves an additional 5% fee.

Free Supervision for the first patients

Although the course is structured to provide all the main knowledges necessary to start a good practice, at the beginning of the clinical activity it is possible that the novice professional feels the need for support from colleagues with more clinical experience, especially if he / she must to deal with difficult cases.

Once the course has been terminated and the certificate from the International Society of Psychology has been obtained, the professional who starts his/her biofeedback trainer activity and needs support from professionals with long experience, can request supervision from Dr. Alessio Penzo and Dr. Loredana Scalini for their first case. The psychologists of the Center of Psychophysiology and Biofeedbak in Rome will give the necessary indications to help the biofeedback trainer to overcome the first difficulties.

The supervision service takes place exclusively via email. Supervision for subsequent patients, if requested, will still have a low cost (€ 15.00 / consultation). But the novice biofeedback trainer is unlikely to need it, because the course provides the basic and advenced skills needed to deal with most cases.

Limitations

Email support is only available in english and only on the topics covered in the course for the purpose of the final online exam.

For time and internal organization reasons, we are currently able to provide only a limited number of biofeedback courses per year.

To check the course availability, send an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

How to order or contact us

 For more information on the course or to purchase it, write to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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