Do clinicians ever get started - and then not get the kind of results they hear in courses?
It's frustrating when you leave the class and don't get the results you heard talked about. Some instructors and courses implicitly set high expectations of rapid success.You you'll hear them say "we get very good results with" (name the disorder - migraines, ADD, anxiety, etc. ) We've even seen clinicians (fortunately not too many) drop out because after they got started, they just didn't see enough clinical success quickly. Or, because clients didn't flock to their door. Once you get better at working with neurofeedback, more clients will show up at your door. Success tends to bring success.
Some courses teach neurofeedback somewhat as a formula. But does it work the way the instructor said when you get your first few clients? There's no formula. Sometimes, the formula does work for clinicians and clients. You're going to run into clients where it just doesn't work. Did you learn the skills you need at that point to adjust? Can you get advice about another approach? For some courses, the answer is actually no. You either don't learn enough or you get too rigid a model, or both.
Neurofeedback takes good clinical skills and judgment. That's in many respects more important than detailed knowledge of EEG and neurofeedback, particularly when you get started. If the client has a hard time telling you what's happening, how do you adjust the training to the client? Hopefully, in your class they share with you how difficult that can be.
Hints
We keep emphasizing, find a good course and a good mentor (and also equipment). They are the keys to getting successful fast. Here's a few other hints. Start with clients you already know well. You'll have a much easier time learning to pick up changes and how to adjust the training to your clients. Don't start
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with new clients with difficult histories or lots of comorbidities (unless that is your typical client). Gain some confidence in less difficult clients where you can more clearly see progress. Also, tackle more similar rather than different. Several ADD, several depression and anxiety, Don't do one ADD, one migraine, one PDD, one anxiety. It makes your initial learning harder.
Success will happen
We've seen therapists three or four months after their first neurofeedback course getting really positive results with clients. We've seen others really struggle for a long time. The course and mentor can make a big difference in your startup success. There's also a style component. You have to gain a feel for training. Some styles of training - don't fit every therapist. We hope you can find a course and a mentor that fits you well. It makes getting successful a whole lot easier.
No matter where you start, you'll eventually find the path with neurofeedback if you stick with it. We've seen people struggle for years to get consistent results for a variety of reasons, including a lot of their own issues. They're now very productive. It may mean more courses, or sometimes changing equipment, or changing mentors.