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• An Introduction to Neurofeedback and Electrical Stimulation for Clinicians with Michael Villanueva, Ph.D.

  • When
    23 Jan 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom Meeting
  • Registered
    18 registrants

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    You are invited!

    SBCPA Presents:  An Introduction to Neurofeedback and Electrical Stimulation for Clinicians

    Presenter: Michael Villanueva, Ph.D. 

  Dr. Michael Villanueva is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Alpha Theta Center in Santa Barbara, where he integrates EEG, neurofeedback, and high-definition transcranial electrical stimulation to support cognitive health and emotional regulation. Earlier in his career, he served as an NIH-funded investigator studying motivational interviewing with Pueblo tribal communities, work that deepened his appreciation for rhythm, resonance, and communication as foundations of change. During a combat deployment, he applied EEG-based interventions in high-stress military settings, expanding his focus on self-regulation and resilience under extreme conditions. With more than a decade bridging clinical psychology and computational neuroscience, Dr. Villanueva collaborated with researchers at UC San Diego's Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience to translate discoveries in brain synchrony and temporal dynamics into practical interventions linking neural health, emotion, and the lived rhythms of daily life.

  • Course Outline
    
    1.    Introduction - Why Regulation Matters (10 minutes)
    2.    Feedback as a Universal Learning Principle (10 minutes)
    3.    Reading the Brain's Timing: EEC Made Understandable (10 minutes)
    4.    The Physics Beneath Psychology (10 minutes)
    5.    Neurofeedback - The Brain Noticing Itself (15 minutes)
    6.     Function of Electrical Stimulation - Entrainment of the Brain's Timing Networks (10 minutes)
    7.    Continuity and Self-Regulation (10 minutes)
    8.    Integrating Brain-Based Tools into Clinical Practice (10 minutes)
    9. Ethical and Practical Considerations  (5 minutes)
    
    

    
    Topic:  

    Neurofeedback opens a temporal window through which the brain perceives its own rhythms, transforming observation into self-correction and stabilizing the coherence that supports focus, emotional steadiness, and resilience. Using clinical language, this workshop shows how rhythmic and non-rhythmic activity underlies regulation and how feedback fosters efficiency rather than "enhancement" across common presentations.  Dr. Villanueva demonstrates that neurofeedback and low-intensity electrical stimulation extend principles therapists already use to help systems sense themselves and adapt, clarifying what neurofeedback is, its limits, and when referral is appropriate.

     Learning Objectives:

    1. Describe two ways how neurofeedback reflects the brain's natural capacity for self-regulation rather than enhancement or control.
    2. Explain one relationship between rhythmic or non-rhythmic brain activity and its influence on attention, mood, or emotional balance, using accessible clinical language.
    3.  Identify one psychotherapy situation in which referral for neurofeedback or low-intensity electrical stimulation may appropriately support treatment goals.

    
    Continuing Education:

    CPA is co-sponsoring with Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA). The California Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

    Important Notice:

    Those who attend the workshop will receive (1.5) continuing education credits. Please note that APA CE rules require that we give credit only to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

     

    Please Note: This salon will be held via Zoom.

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