After including neurofeedback in her counseling practice for a dozen years, Sara Henry, LMFT, decided to broaden the scope of her knowledge of the neurofeedback field. She had studied with a mentor on a monthly basis and attended trainings and conferences over the years, but she wanted to experience something different in her continuing education.
She wondered where she could go to receive intensive training in a small, intimate setting without being in a sales environment. She wanted to be exposed to other points of view and as many different types of neurofeedback technology and equipment as possible. Her friend and fellow neurofeedback practitioner Kent Crawford told her, “You have to take Mike Cohen’s Neurofeedback 101 course.”
Lots of opportunities to talk about technology and training
“Kent explained that the course was held in Mike’s clinic and that Mike was a very good teacher who was happy to talk about all the different technologies and training approaches,” said Sara, founder of the Henry Neurorelational Center in Ft. Myers and Naples, Florida.
“That appealed to me. I prefer a setting where I can have a conversation with someone to really talk things through, who’s authentic and isn’t pushing a specific technology or technique,” she said.
“Throughout the course, Mike was very generous about sharing his experience and insights and did so without a lot of bias,” Sara continued. “He’s easy to talk to and knows just about everything that’s out there in terms of technology and equipment. That’s what I wanted from this course, and that’s what I got.”
Definitely not boring…even for a seasoned veteran
Rather than being bored by the entry-level course, Sara found it useful to refresh some things she had learned long ago. The course went beyond the basics, too, exposing her to concepts and ideas she hadn’t known about, while providing a deeper understanding and different perspective on some of the concepts she already knew, including brain mapping.
“I was getting good results without doing brain mapping but had been wondering what the benefits would be of adding it to my practice,” she said. “If you’re working with the brain, you want to understand as much about it as you can. I was considering adding brain mapping to my practice and found Mike’s information about the different types of brain mapping very informative.”
A lot to think about
By the time the third day of the Neurofeedback 101 course rolled around, Sara says she was “thrilled,” her mind overflowing with new ideas, new knowledge and a reinforced confidence in the power and efficacy of neurofeedback.
She left the training resolved to make a major career leap. Inspired by her observations of operations at the Center for Brain Training clinic, she decided to expand her solo practice into her own neurofeedback clinic with technicians she would train. Sara also decided after the course to add brain mapping to her practice and to buy a CellCom (PEMF) body biofeedback system to help her pain clients, which she had tried out during the course.
“Being in Mike’s clinic and observing how his organization works inspired me,” Sara recalled. “I thought, I can do this. I returned home and started making plans.”
So why would someone with years of experience take Neurofeedback 101?
“Neurofeedback 101 is a great refresher course, but it’s more than that,” Sara noted. “You will certainly learn valuable information that you didn’t already know, and it might even propel you to move your career to the next level. Fundamentally, I found putting my mind together with such a generous teacher, one who is so well-versed in the breadth and depth of the field, to be deeply inspiring and helpful.
“No matter where you are in your professional development,” Sara concluded, “taking Neurofeedback 101 is totally worth it.”