Biofeedback Therapists

High School

To prepare for a biofeedback career you will need to take science courses, such as biology and anatomy. Physical education and health will give you some understanding of the physical aspects of biofeedback. Since counseling skills are also important, classes in psychology and sociology can be helpful. Speech, English, and foreign language classes will help you to build your communication skills.

Biofeedback currently is a rapidly expanding field. The marriages of art and biofeedback (as in an art therapy practice) or sports and biofeedback (as in the development of specialized training programs for top athletes) are just two of the many more unusual applications of this discipline.

Postsecondary Training

Most people who practice biofeedback therapy first become licensed in some other area of health care. Biofeedback then becomes an area of specialization within their practices. A biofeedback therapist may have a master's degree in social work, a Ph.D. in psychology, a nursing or medical degree, or some other professional designation. After receiving this professional degree (which may take 10 or more years, in the case of a medical degree), you then take courses in biofeedback from schools or other educational providers.

The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback provides a listing of approved schools that prepare students for certification. Though many institutions offer workshops in biofeedback and may even offer biofeedback training programs and degrees, not all of them are approved by the certifying board. Some biofeedback therapists do practice without certification, but these uncertified therapists are not recognized by the professional organizations.

Certification

A few colleges and universities offer certificate programs in biofeedback therapy and related fields. For example, Saybrook University in Pasadena, California, offers a nine-credit certificate in biofeedback program that requires the completion of three academic courses and two residential conferences. Students must take the following two courses: Basic Training and Education in Biofeedback and Psychophysiological Recording, Assessment, and Interventions. Then they must choose one of two elective courses: Advanced Biofeedback and Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback. The university also offers certificates in neurofeedback, stress management education, and other fields. Visit https://www.saybrook.edu/academics/certificate-programs for more information.

Other Education or Training

The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback offers webinars, seminars, and workshops on a variety of topics. Recent offerings include Autogenic Training: An Integrated Approach with Biofeedback, Neurofeedback & Autism, and Essential Physiology for Mental Health and Biofeedback Practitioners. Contact the association for more information.