Is biofeedback certification required or important to provide Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback is a subset of biofeedback.  Currently, no states or insurance companies require certification for licensed professionals.   The APA (American Psychological Assoc.) includes biofeedback as part of scope of practice under their guidelines.  M.D.'s have provided other forms of biofeedback for years.  They can certainly provide it under the scope of their medical practice. Other mental health professionals, LCSW's, MFT's in every state we are aware of have had no problem having biofeedback included under their scope of practice.   But can certification be important or useful?

Certification programs for neurofeedback and biofeedback have been created by the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America(BCIA), a peer reviewed organization that has set standards for this field.  They provide two kinds of certification.  There’s BCIA for general biofeedback – EMG (muscle activity), GSR (galvanic skin response), breathing rate and other peripheral measures.  A separate BCIA certification exists for EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback). There have been several other efforts within the industry to create an alternative body for biofeedback certification. None have succeeded with any more than a fringe within the field, and they do not appear viable for the vast professionals group.  .

It's very possible that states or insurance companies could require EEG BCIA certification as a requirement in the future.  That's likely to be several years, but as the field is growing, there could be more pressure for certification.  States currently accept that if the clinician is a licensed health professional, licensure is sufficient.  Which is not to say that the health professional knows neurofeedback. Getting EEG BCIA certified suggests increased effort on a professional’s part to gain appropriate training in a new modality.  Some psychologists and other professionals say this is useful.  It indicates a professional effort to gain expertise in a new modality.  Some professionals don't think it's important, as long as they can show they've taken appropriate courses to be trained.

We think it does make sense for people in the field to get certified, though it's obviously not an urgent requirement.  There are certain common complaints about the EEG Biofeedback certification exam.  It is quite hard and more academic than practice oriented.  Many of the exam questions seem unrelated to the actual practice of neurofeedback, though they may relate to EEG matters. The exam doesn't provide any measure of competency.  Others point out these complaints are similar to other fields complaints about their certifications.  Many tend to be more academic than practical.  BCIA is attempting to make efforts - albeit very slowly, to make changes to it's exam.