Neurofeedback is a process that helps an individual learn how to change the physiological activity of the central nervous system and the brain for the purpose of improving health. Neurofeedback is a type of clinical intervention used to improve brain functioning that is contributing to unwanted symptoms. Neurofeedback is often used to treat common symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, cognitive deficits, focus and concentration deficits, emotional dysregulation, headaches, pain, addiction, and other dysregulated mood issues. The focus of the training is to teach the brain to increase flexibility and self-regulation of relaxation and activation patterns.
Neurofeedback offers a way to improve overall brain functioning without the use of medication to help alleviate symptoms. It has shown promising results for the treatment of many disorders and longevity in maintaining progress after treatment has ended. Neurofeedback is safe to use with children through adults.
The office offers Z-score training neurofeedback that first starts with Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG), commonly referred to as “brain mapping.” The QEEG provides a visual of current brain wave functions that paired with a clinical interview helps develop a treatment plan that focuses on training regulating the brain wave functions associated with the symptoms being experienced.
Neurofeedback involves wearing a cap with several electrodes/sensors being placed on your scalp and ear lobes to detect brain wave activity. Your brainwaves are measured and displayed on the computer screen and through instruction, you can learn to train down or train up certain brainwaves associated with your identified symptoms.
The length of treatment can vary, but most effective neurofeedback typically takes 30-40 training sessions. Some conditions may take longer. Follow-up QEEGs is completed after every 10 neurofeedback training sessions to assess changes in symptoms and brain wave function.
Lifestyle habits are important as well including diet, sleep habits, and regular self-care to manage daily stress. Neurofeedback is considered generally to be safe and non-intrusive. This service is only offered in person at all three locations.
Neurofeedback has been used for treating a variety of symptoms and has been found effective in treating the following conditions:
- Anxiety
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Chronic Pain
- Compulsive Behaviors
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Learning Disabilities
- Migraines and headaches
- Compulsive Behaviors
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
1) Schedule an initial phone consult to discuss neurofeedback services.
The initial phone interview will assist you in determining neurofeedback is a good match for your symptoms.
2) Assessment and QEEG
The first appointment will have you complete several assessments to help determine your areas of strengths and potential areas that need training. A Board Certified Neurofeedback clinician will be collect several EEG recordings in the 2nd half of the session. These recordings will be analyzed and used with the assessments to create an individualized treatment plan for training the areas of the brain that are dysregulated. The appointment lasts 1 hour.
3) Review of Results and Training
This is a 1-hour session where the EEG results and treatment training plan is reviewed, followed by a 20-30 minute neurofeedback training.
4) Neurofeedback training sessions last 1 hour.
The neurofeedback training lasts 20-30 minutes followed by 30-minute psychotherapy focusing on teaching regulation skills. Most people will complete 20-30 training sessions. Some people may do fewer or some may do more training sessions, it’s individualized towards your goals and response to the training.
5) New EEGs are collected after every 10 training sessions to reassess your progress.
You will get a revised treatment training plan each time with adjustments based on your goals and response to the neurofeedback training.
Neurofeedback can be done as often as twice a day multiple days a week with a break for rest between training sessions. Most clients will do 1-2 training sessions a week. Neurofeedback training works best with consistent training for the brain and it’s best to not space the training appointments further than 2 weeks apart.
- QEEGs are $500 each
- QEEG comprehensive reports are $500 each
- Neurofeedback training sessions are $180 each
Counseling sessions are provided for individuals, couples, and families. Counseling is provided by a licensed clinician to help with mental health issues including emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The goals of counseling are to help improve your overall sense of well-being, enjoyment in life, alleviate emotional distress, improve behavioral regulation and improve communication in your relationships.
Counseling appointments are 50 minutes in length. The frequency of appointments and length of treatment varies depending on the severity of symptoms. The office offers several evidence-based treatment modalities that can be used together or separately. Counseling services are offered at all three locations for in-person or virtual appointments.
Counseling can help a variety of mental health concerns, but the most common concerns I treat in the office are:
- Anxiety – obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety
- Attention deficit disorder – ADD/ADHD
- Depression
- Mood disorders – Major depression, Bipolar disorder, Dysregulated mood disorder
- Oppositional Defiant Disorder
- Other Trauma-related symptoms
- Peak Performance
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
- Relational conflict/ Marital conflict
Counseling provides you an opportunity to speak with a licensed professional to develop a plan to achieve your goals healthily. This is different than talking with family or friends that may become invested in what choices you make as the choices impact your relationships. The counseling office is a safe space for you to explore what you want and how to achieve it with your unique strengths and personality. This process helps you gain valuable skills to improve your ability to regulate your emotions and manage your internal dialogue.
Counseling appointments are $180 each.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy modality that helps people heal from traumatic or distressing life experiences. EMDR therapy is designed to help the mind reprocess distressing memories by the use of steps to activate the memory, and initiate a free association process in the brain by using eye movements, tapping, or sounds with a dual attention focus.
The goal of EMDR therapy is to help maintain a present awareness in situations that trigger the painful memory without activating a threatening response in your body. There is not a set number of sessions for EMDR therapy, but symptom reduction is typically reported after 10-12 sessions. This type of therapy can be done in-office or through virtual appointments. EMDR therapy is offered at all three locations.
If you are seeking additional information on researchers on EMDR therapy, visit www.emdria.org.
- Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
- Chronic illness, medical issues, and medical traumas
- Depression and bipolar disorders
- Dissociative disorders
- Eating disorders
- Grief and loss
- Pain
- Peak performance and performance anxiety
- Personality disorders
- PTSD and other trauma
- Sexual assault
- Sleep disturbance
- Stress-related issues
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Violence and abuse
EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and is recommended type of treatment for recovering from trauma or distressing experiences. EMDR therapy works with your brain’s natural way to recover by helping it reprocess and resolve distressing memories. The symptoms typically resolve upon completing the reprocessing of the identified memories. Many people report noticing improvement within the first 8-10 appointments.
EMDR therapy appointments are $175 each.
Peak Performance with EMDR
EMDR is an evidence-based practice to treat a variety of disorders with clients. In addition to its widely known effectiveness in treating trauma, EMDR has shown to be very effective in treating Peak Performance issues. All athletes and professional performers need to have the ability to maintain a mindset to promote learning and execute their skillset on-demand to exceed challenges of performance.
Components of EMDR peak performance include:
- Thorough client history
- Rigorous client preparation that includes resourcing elements for positive self-talk and evaluation
- Assessment and desensitization of target memories (in office and at performance location)
- Closure and re-evaluation of all processed material
- Guided imagery and rehearsal
- Mindful meditation exercises
The methods of this type of EMDR therapy help to enhance personal self-awareness, positive self-talk, ability to execute skills on demand, and activate your performance self mindset. EMDR is an expansive therapeutic model that can help people improve performance in many areas of life. This service is offered in-person or virtually at all three locations.
In-office and virtual 50-minute appointments are $180 each.
Travel charge to the location of performance within 25 miles is $50 and 26-50 miles is $100 plus the appointment fee.
Equine-assisted psychotherapy is a type of therapy that includes equine activities with an experiential therapeutic approach. The office provides EAGALA and Natural Lifemanship equine-assisted service models guided by trained professionals.
The foundations of this type of therapy are experiential, animal-assisted, and integrative approaches with the use of postmodern techniques. This type of therapy is ground-based interactions only and does NOT incorporate any riding of the animals.
Horses have a unique sensitivity to humans that helps you gain a deeper understanding of your internal process and behaviors. This dynamic plays a key role in working through trauma, stuck points in life, and gaining insight on how you seek both physical and emotional safety in relationships and the environment.
Equine-assisted therapy incorporates a team approach including you, the horse or horses, therapist, and equine specialist. With the collaborative nature of the interactions with the horse, therapist, an equine specialist, there are common reports of improvement in awareness, connection, and empathy. This process allows change to occur naturally and empowers you to see the opportunities to discover and change your story.
This service is only available on certain days and times, weather permitting, and is an outdoor activity only. This service is only available at the Special Cheers location by appointment only. Call the office today if you are interested in learning more about this service.
Equine-assisted therapy allows you to explore your story, learn problem-solving skills, and discover your resilience to overcome challenges guided by the team’s facilitation. It provides space for a natural unfolding of self-discovery and insight. This is a solution-oriented approach that is personally experienced at the emotional and physical level in conjunction with intellectual understanding.
Equine-assisted psychotherapy (50 minutes) is $180 for each session.
I am a Certified EMDR Therapist, Approved Consultant, and Approved Virtual Trainer with the international organization, EMDRIA. I provide individual and group consultation for basic EMDR therapists seeking to become EMDRIA certified EMDR therapists. In addition, I provide consultation for certified EMDR therapists seeing to become Approved Consultants under the Consultant-in-Training title. The consultation is offered in person or virtually at all three locations. If you are interested, please contact the office to set up a consultation time.
- Individual consultation (60 minutes) is $100 each.
- Group consultation (60 minutes) is $75 each.
Additional Training
I offer educational seminars and webinars at the office and virtually. The most common topics that I provide training on are the use of EMDR therapy with specific populations, preparing clients for EMDR therapy, trauma-informed practices in agencies serving communities with traumatic experiences, and ethics in mental health.
Upcoming Training
EMDR History and Preparation: A step-by-step guide for preparing clients for EMDR
This live, 4-hour, EMDRIA approved, webinar course is filled with an easy instructional guide including live demonstrations, sample forms, and practical strategies for in-session exercises and client homework exercises.
This course is offered on: March 23, 2024, 9 am to 1 pm Central Time
EMDR Therapy Equine-Assisted Workshop
This is a live 8-hour, EMDRIA approved, webinar course. The course offers live instruction and video demonstrations.
This course is offered on: April 27, 2024, 9 am to 16 pm Central Time
Information on registering for the courses is at www.compassionworks.com
Please call the office if you are interested in rates and training topics for your business.
The Dance of a Relationship Workshop
April 19-21, 2024
Location: Special Cheers
Cost Per Couple: $1500
Are you looking to improve the communication in your relationship?
Join us for a 3-day workshop on communication skills in relationships. The workshop provides a unique opportunity to learn healthy communication skills with equine-assisted activities. The workshop incorporates Imago components, Equus coaching components, and information on the brain and connection in relationships.
No previous horse experience is necessary and all activities are on the ground.
Register by submitting your interest on the Schedule an Appointment button below or at this link.
https://square.link/u/raiC4RKE?src=sheet
Disclaimer: This workshop is not providing counseling services and is not intended to substitute counseling services. The workshop provides education on healthy communication skills and exercises to practice communication skills that are taught in the workshop.
Cancellation Policy
If cancellation is more than 4 days prior to the workshop start date then a full refund of the amount paid minus a $35 dollar administrative fee is given.
If cancellation is 3 days or less prior to the workshop start date then no refund is given.
All grievances must be in writing to Amanda Martin and will be replied to within 5-10 business days.
Team-building equine-assisted retreats are available for groups of people or agencies and corporations at the Special Cheers location only. The retreats incorporate psychoeducation on healthy communication, conflict resolution, and experiential team-building exercises using ground-based activities with horses.
The location offers a safe space for the team-building experience outdoors. This is a great way to re-establish connected communication between team members that have been remote or newly developed teams. The location offers beautiful 240 acres in West Houston with sunshine, a herd of 15 horses, and mindfulness outdoor exercises. This is a unique opportunity for a strength-based team-building approach for you and your team.
Team-building equine-assisted retreats can be booked in blocks of time ranging from 4 to 8 hours. Group sizes range from 4 to 15 people. This is an outdoor activity and weather permitting.
- Call to schedule an initial intake interview is scheduled with the managers to identify goals and timeframe for the team-building retreat. These calls are scheduled for 1 hour.
- Schedule a date and time and review the safety rules for the training.
- Complete the team-building retreat on the scheduled day and block of time.
- Complete post-training evaluation forms to provide feedback.
- ½ day for a group of 4-10 participants is $3000.
- 1 full day for a group of 4-10 participants is $6000.
Additional EMDR trainings are offered through CompassionWorks. The link for the workshops and registration is offered here.
Intensive Services
Intensives are blocks of therapy services offered by appointment only. Intensives may include a 4-hour block, 1 day (8 hours), or 2-3 days (2-3 days of 8-hour days) that focus on providing clinical intervention on a specific area to help with quick symptom relief.
Intensives may include more than one type of therapeutic service or focus on one type of service like EMDR therapy. Most often, intensives are scheduled for people who travel frequently or have certain jobs that hinder being consistent with routine appointments.
Intensive therapy appointments may include one or all of the types of services provided at each location. A thorough history and identified goals are established to set up a treatment plan of clinical interventions that will be used in the block of time. The intensives do incorporate a holistic approach that includes clinical interventions, self-care planning, and healthy life and eating habits.
While intensives can be very helpful in reducing symptoms, there are follow-up appointments recommended with regular counseling to help maintain the progress.
- A 4-hour block is $600.
- An 8-hour block is $1100.
- A 2-day block is $2200.
HeartMath
All three office locations offer heart rate variability training using a HeartMath device. Heart rate variability helps to improve emotional wellbeing and regulation of the autonomic nervous system that creates a physiological coherence of harmony in our mind, emotions, and body. This service is only offered in the office for in-person appointments and is often used in conjunction with practicing skills for homework three times a day for 5-10 minutes.
Improving heart rate variability has been shown to enhance physiological resilience, behavioral flexibility, and adaptation to life stress. Heartmath is used in the office as a clinical intervention in conjunction with psychotherapy and to help build awareness of coherence between mind and body.
HeartMath is included in the counseling session rate at $175 each.
