Can anyone do neurofeedback, or do you have to be licensed?

It's clear there are a few companies that have sold neurofeedback instruments directly to the public.  Other companies sell their neurofeedback equipment to dealers.  Their dealers sell the equipment directly to the public.  There are questions whether these actions are permissible or in violation of FDA guidelines. Click here for more about the FDA guidelines.

Regardless of the FDA, non-licensed individuals or consumers can find a way to get neurofeedback equipment right now, even though they're not licensed providers.  If they are using it for personal use, we strongly recommend that they have supervision from experienced licensed neurofeedback providers.

The vast majority of neurofeedback providers are licensed clinicians.  There have been cases of individuals opening practices and offering neurofeedback without a license.  Some of these people, particularly people in the field prior to 2000 have gone through extensive training, may have credentials/appropriate education and may in fact provide a high level of service. These people (a small number) are not a problem.

Can a licensed provider offer neurofeedback without appropriate training and expertise?  Absolutely.  But at least there's a recourse to that individual if a problem occurs - they can be reported to their licensing board.

The real problem:  "Treatment without a license"
What happens if if an individual who is not licensed and has minimal training starts offering neurofeedback to others. If they offer it for stress reduction, or for peak performance, some in the field argue maybe it's not a real problem.  Neurofeedback is after all, self-regulation training.  There's no history of long term adverse effects.

Others argue that neurofeedback is a powerful modality, and that there's the potential for undesired effects if you really don't know what you are doing, or what you're seeing in terms of response (ongoing assessment).  .

It's clear if an individual offers to train autism, bipolar disorder, depression or ADD with neurofeedback, that's a problem.  Most licensure boards would call that treatment without a license  No individuals should be offering such services. There have been a few cases where unlicensed individuals have been reported to licensure boards and action taken.  This is the appropriate action for individuals offering neurofeedback treatment.

So far, having neurofeedback treatment by an unlicensed individual is an isolated problem.  But it can occur.  If licensed professionals and the public stay vigilant, they can stop most inappropriate actions from occurring.