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Entry Level Board Certification in Neurofeedback - Basic Information
Neurofeedback Certification is a separate program for competency in neurofeedback or EEG biofeedback. General biofeedback certification is helpful, but not required.
Certification in Neurofeedback is open to professionals from clinical health care areas including, but not limited to, psychology, nursing (includes all licensed RNs), counseling, and therapy who hold a degree from a regionally accredited academic institution. "Regionally accredited academic institution” refers to an Accredited Institution of Postsecondary Education as determined by the American Council on Education. A signed, sealed, original transcript from the university that granted your highest degree must be submitted directly to BCIA.
A complete list of accepted degree fields is found in our brochure. BCIA will consider requests for special review for the demonstration of equivalency for most of our requirements, including pre-requisite education. However, degree review requests must be compared to a BCIA approved clinical health care field. Degrees earned outside the US must be translated and evaluated by an organization who is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) - www.naces.org.
Candidates may file an application at any time during the certification process and pay all fees. These fees are: $125 filing fee which must be paid at the time the application is submitted plus a $275 certification fee, a total of $400. The filing fee will be reduced to $25 if an applicant can document that he/she is currently enrolled in an advanced degree program at a regionally accredited academic institution in a BCIA approved health care field. Total fees for current students in this category would be $300. Please be sure to read the Additional Certification Information and Fee Schedule document for further information.
Dual Certification: If this is your 2nd BCIA certification (in addition to either the General Biofeedback or PMDB), then the total fees for dual certification are $195.
Candidates must demonstrate completion of:
Didactic Education
- A human anatomy, human physiology, or human biology course from a regionally accredited academic institution covering the organization of the human body and all 11 systems. Recently BCIA has widened their interpretation of this requirement to be more inclusive of alternate course work and further study of neuroanatomy. Currently BCIA encourages people to document how they believe they have fulfilled this requirement, perhaps through a different path - perhaps a series of courses such as undergraduate biology, health psychology, and physiology psychology. If you believe you have met this requirement through course work other than specifically listed above, please contact BCIA to discuss the specifics.
- A 36 hour didactic education program specifically covering all topics as listed in the BCIA Blueprint of Knowledge taken from either a regionally accredited academic institution or a BCIA accredited training program. Note: If course work in Instrumentation or Professional Conduct was taken through a prior accredited didactic workshop for a different BCIA certification, these topics will not have to be repeated.
Practical Skills Training
- 25 contact hours spent with a BCIA approved mentor to learn to apply the clinical neurofeedback skills through learning self-regulation, 100 patient/client sessions, and case conference presentations. Please see the Mentoring Guidelines for more detail.
Written Certification Exam
- The written certification exam may be taken either at one of the scheduled exam sites or through the special exam option which allows a pre-approved candidate to schedule their exam using a university or other approved testing site with a proctor. A Suggested Reading List is provided to aid in preparation for the exam and to reinforce the learning of the science, history, and theory of biofeedback.
When treating a medical or psychological disorder, you are required to hold a current license/credential issued by the state in which you practice in a BCIA approved health care field. Without this license/credential, you must agree to work under the supervision of an appropriately credentialed health care professional when working with a medical or psychological disorder.
Where do I start?
The first step to certification is filing an application. Once your application has been approved and fees received, you may schedule a time for your exam. A completed application must include a signed, sealed, original transcript to be receieved by BCIA directly from the granting institution and payment of filing fees. You may complete your requirements in any order. THe application packet may be ordered from BCIA for $25 and submitted with the $100 filing fee. If you download the application packet from the website, your filing fee will be $125. The $275 certification fee must be paid prior to scheduling your exam. If this is your 2nd BCIA certification (in addition to either the BCIA Neurofeedback or PMDB), then the total fees for dual certification are $195.
The documents included are: Application, Application Instructions, Blueprint, Mentoring Guidelines, Suggested Reading List, Ethical Principles, and Exam Registration Form.
All candidates must agree to abide by the BCIA Ethical Principles and follow the appropriate rules and regulations of their profession and their state.
Certification is valid for four years. To recertify, the candidate must demonstrate completion of 80 hours of continuing education and must attest that their license/credential has not been suspended, investigated or revoked. Recertification fees are $225.
Lists of BCIA certified providers who may serve as mentors are posted on this website through Find a Practitioner.
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