Certification Requirements

Requirements current as of September 2026 · Source: qeegcertificationboard.org

QEEG certification is awarded by the International QEEG Certification Board (IQCB) at three levels. The level you pursue is set by your degree and licensure; the education, mentoring, and exam are otherwise the same.

Levels of certification

• QEEG-DL — Diplomate with Licensure: for those holding state or local licensure in an approved health-care field, or approved by the board on evidence of competency (CV or publications).
• QEEG-D — Diplomate: for those with an advanced degree — a master’s or higher in a related area.
• QEEG-T — Technologist: for those without an advanced degree or licensure. Technologists work under the supervision of a QEEG Diplomate, as their state or country requires.

What every candidate completes

• Didactic education: an approved 40-hour didactic course from the board’s list of providers (StressTherapy Solutions is one).
• Experience: a minimum of one year of experience under a certified Diplomate is recommended.
• Mentoring: at least 10 contact hours with an IQCB-certified mentor, during which the mentor reviews 10 patient/client data analyses and 5 QEEG report presentations. At least 2 of the hours must be direct observation.
• Written exam: a 3-hour online exam covering neuroscience, technical foundations, EEG, QEEG, psychopharmacology, research, ethics, and clinical practice.

How to apply

1. Create a free IQCB account.
2. Set up the exam-portal account and submit your application, indicating the level you are pursuing.
3. Complete an approved 40-hour didactic course.
4. Gain hands-on experience (one year under a Diplomate is recommended).
5. Complete your mentoring hours to validate your skills.
6. Sit the written exam.

Fees

• Application: $200
• Exam: $300
• Mentoring is arranged with, and paid to, your mentor. Course tuition is paid to the course provider. Regional and student discounts are available.

Staying certified

Certification renews every 3 years. Renewal requires 30 CE hours per cycle — at least 15 QEEG-specific and at least 2 in ethics — a signed ethics form, and a $300 renewal fee. No renewal exam is required.

The board publishes its own recommended reading list. The required readings are downloadable there without an account; the version with links to the full articles needs an IQCB account, which you get once your application is filed. Always take the list from the board rather than a copy — it is revised from time to time.

Requirements current as of September 2026 · Source: bcia.org

Neurofeedback certification is awarded by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) as the BCN — Board Certified in Neurofeedback credential. A licensed track (BCN-L) and a performance track (BCN-P) share the same core requirements.

Eligibility

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in a BCIA-approved health-care field, from a regionally accredited institution.
• Applicants outside the US and Canada must also hold a valid government-issued clinical licence.

BCIA-approved health-care fields include psychology, medicine, nursing (registered nurses; not LVNs or LPNs), physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, rehabilitation, chiropractic, recreational therapy, physician’s assistant, exercise physiology, speech pathology, and sports medicine. Music therapy and counseling education (MEd in counseling) require a master’s degree. A degree in a health-care field not on the list can be submitted to BCIA for review.

Education

• A 36-hour didactic course covering all ten areas of the BCIA Neurofeedback Blueprint of Knowledge — from neurophysiology and instrumentation through assessment, protocol development, treatment, and professional ethics. (StressTherapy Solutions’ BCIA Didactic Certification Course meets this requirement.)
• A university course in human neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, or physiological psychology, completed within the last 15 years — separate from, and in addition to, the 36-hour course.

The 36 hours are made up of:

• Orientation to Neurofeedback — 4 hours
• Basic Neurophysiology and Neuroanatomy — 4 hours
• Instrumentation and Electronics — 4 hours
• Patient/Client Assessment — 4 hours
• Developing Treatment Protocols — 6 hours
• Treatment Implementation — 6 hours
• Research Evidence Base for Neurofeedback — 2 hours
• Psychopharmacological Considerations — 2 hours
• Ethical Professional Conduct — 2 hours
• Current Trends in Neurofeedback — 2 hours

Mentoring and practical experience

• 25 mentoring contact hours with a BCIA-approved mentor, at least 2 of them face-to-face.
• 10 sessions of personal self-regulation training, with you as the client.
• 100 patient/client sessions conducted by you.
• 10 case-study presentations, each following a patient from intake through discharge.

Exam

A written exam of roughly 100 multiple-choice questions with a 3-hour limit, delivered by online proctoring in English or European Spanish.

Fees

• Filing fee: $150 (or $50 with current-student documentation)
• Certification fee: $300 (or $100 for a second BCIA certification)
• Exam: $300, plus a $20 proctor fee

Staying certified

Certification renews every 4 years, requiring 48 CE hours per cycle in the US, Canada, and Australia (36 hours elsewhere; Senior Fellows 30 and 24 respectively) — including at least 3 hours of ethics and 10 hours specific to neurofeedback. Recertification fees start at $225 and rise later in the cycle.

The order BCIA recommends

You become a candidate by submitting an application with proof of the educational prerequisite and the filing fee. BCIA recommends — but does not require — completing the rest in this order:

1. the neuroanatomy/neurophysiology course
2. the 36-hour didactic education
3. mentored practical training
4. the certification exam

Already practising: Certification by Prior Experience

An alternative route for established clinicians. All applicants must be licensed. It requires 100 hours of accredited post-professional education — of which at least 36 must be BCIA Blueprint hours from an accredited didactic program — plus 3,000 clinical hours of direct patient care using neurofeedback over at least 5 years, most of it within the past 10 years. Also required: the neuroanatomy coursework, at least 25 mentoring contact hours, three verification letters from other professionals, and a validation exam. Fees total $450.

Technician certification

For people who do not meet the health-care degree requirement and work under supervision. Currently offered only to those living and working in the United States and Canada. Technicians must be legally supervised by someone BCIA-certified in neurofeedback and licensed to supervise, and may not themselves mentor or supervise other applicants.

It uses a separate 20-hour Blueprint of Knowledge specific to a technician’s scope of work — not the 36-hour course — together with the neuroanatomy course, 10 mentoring hours covering 20 patient sessions and 5 personal self-regulation sessions, and an exam of about 50 questions. Fees are $150 filing, $100 certification and a $20 proctor fee, and the certification lasts four years. Only a few programs are approved to teach the 20-hour technician blueprint; check BCIA’s list before booking. Anyone intending to pursue full certification later should consider taking a 36-hour course instead.

BCIA also certifies general biofeedback (BCB) and HRV biofeedback under separate requirements; the above covers the neurofeedback (BCN) credential most relevant to the workshops on this site.