How to Maximize Therapy with a Brain Map for a More Targeted Mental Health Assessment
Talk therapy and counseling are good. Many, many people have benefited from them. However, therapists and psychologists must make an educated-guess assessment at what are the root causes of an individual’s problems, based on visible or self-reported symptoms. And sometimes, unfortunately, they guess wrong or miss some symptoms.
A Better Mental Health Assessment
Neurotherapy changes things. Big time. Neurofeedback allows us to look at your brain’s activity with a brain map, or brain assessment. It lets us understand what’s going on like never before. It allows for better therapy.
Dermatologists look at the skin before treatment begins; heart surgeons look at the heart before an operation is performed. Without brain scans, mental health clinicians are the only health professionals who do not look at the organ that they treat.
The Best Mental Health Assessment!
Even of therapists offering neurotherapy, however, there are levels of expertise and excellence. And we’re glad you found us because we offer the most effective type of neurotherapy treatment. We provide the best neurotherapy assessment and treatment using a combination of our board-certified expertise and our 19-point quantitative EEG (QEEG) assessment. (See bcia.org to learn about this national certification.)
Some neurotherapists offer 12- or even 4-point scanning. It’s just not as precise. In fact, some neurotherapy providers don’t even do a QEEG assessment! They just make their best guess based on outward symptoms as described in the DSM (diagnostic statistical manual).
Neurotherapy with a 19-point QEEG assessment allows us to pinpoint the areas of your brain that aren’t working as effectively and then create personalized treatment. It’s very effective (in 80-85% percent of people) and it usually works faster than just traditional therapy! We are one of only two providers in Utah that even offer a 19-point QEEG. (And our rates are more affordable!)
We include a QEEG with every counseling client as part of our mental health assessment. Our brain-based treatment approach is what sets us apart from other mental health clinicians. We are pioneering the way and changing the way mental health is treated. (Please note we also offer neurofeedback without mental health counseling. View our rates for this service.)
How a QEEG Works
A QEEG, or initial brain scan, reveals the specific locations and functional areas of the brain that are not performing as they should. With a personalized brain scan, we can provide treatment at the location of the core problem. Looking at the brain before providing treatment is brain-based therapy, or neurotherapy.
Our QEEG assessment records and analyzes 19 points of your brain. As neurons talk to each other, they create electricity, or brain waves. When neurons are not performing optimally, they cause dysfunction, such as ADHD, depression, Zaidi, and learning disorders. We run your brain scan through a national “normative” database that allows us to pinpoint the differences between a client’s brainwaves and the typical brainwaves of other individuals of the same age..
What Is It Like Getting a QEEG?
Getting a QEEG is very easy, comfortable and painless. We place a special cap on your head covered with sensors to record the electrical activity in your brain. You simply lie back in a reclining chair. We record your brainwave activity for 5 minutes with your eyes open and for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. You also complete questionnaires rating the symptoms you experience during the day.
We then determine where to do training in your brain and for how long. Each time you do brain training, we assess how your brain waves are changing. We ensure that brain waves are making significant changes over time and, if they are not, we look at possible reasons why and may modify your brain training.
We also track your progress by having you rate your symptoms periodically and by doing another brain scan after 20 sessions. Clients find it rewarding to compare their initial brain scan to their 20-session brain scan because they can literally see how their brain has changed and improved!
With our tracking, we know exactly when the treatment is working for you. For example, clients typically report sleeping better and having clearer thoughts after 6-8 training sessions. Research has shown it usually takes about 25 sessions to make permanent changes in the brain. The ideal schedule for neurotherapy is 3 sessions a week, and at that rate, clients often feel a lot better in just 2 ½ months.
The brain is an interconnected system of networks. When you change one area of brain wave activity, the brain integrates those changes throughout the whole brain, improving overall brain functioning.
Does Neurotherapy Work for Everyone?
More research is emerging showing the effectiveness of neurotherapy. (For example, see “A Brain Changer for ADHDers? Neurofeedback’s Effect on Brain Waves.”) We find that most (80-85%) of our clients respond well to neurotherapy. But each brain is different, and neurotherapy does not work for everyone. That’s why if we do not see progress within 10 sessions of neurofeedback, we will stop treatment and revisit the initial assessment to determine if changes need to be made or if other treatment methods will work better for you.
If you would like to know even more about neurofeedback, visit www.bcia.org or www.isnr.org. Also, please like our Facebook page; we share new studies and research about neurofeedback, brain wellness and mental health to help educate you.
As always, we invite your questions and want to help you understand this amazing treatment that is still new to many people. Drop us an email or call 801-855-7999 with any questions. We offer a free, no obligation consultation. We are based in Clinton, Utah, and serve clients in many cities including Ogden, Layton, West Point, Clearfield, Syracuse and Kaysville.