Social Work and Neurofeedback: Applications in working with drug users

(Asistență socială și neurofeedback: Aplicații în lucrul cu persoanele consumatoare de droguri) *

 

Workshop Coordinators:

Daniela Gaba, PhD., Lecturer in Social Work, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest, Co-founder and Research and Development Program Coordinator, Neurofeedback Romania.

Aida Ivan, Psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, specialized in cognitive behavioural psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis and Ericksonian therapy, existential counseling, neurotherapist specialized in Neurofeedback therapy – Othmer method.

Language: Romanian/English

Date and Time: Thursday, November 7th, 11:15- 13:15

Location: Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, 90 Panduri Street, Sector 5, Bucharest

Workshop description

This workshop represents a brief introduction into the principles and theoretical foundations of Neurofeedback therapy, the Othmer method. The workshop is addressed to both social workers and other professionals from the psychosocial and human health fields, who work with people with neuropsychological disfunctions, in general, and with psychoactive substance addictions, especially.

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive complementary therapy for training the self-regulating functions of the brain. With the help of specially designed non-invasive computer devices, certain parameters of brain activity (normally imperceptible at the conscious level) are recorded, analysed and “communicated” back to the person through visual, auditory and / or tactile (feedback), stimulating the self-regulation of the brain, in order to diminish the unwanted behavioural patterns generated by different dysfunctions of the brain activity. Neurofeedback has been used since the 1980s in the US and, more recently, in many European countries (Germany, Austria, Suedia, UK, Croatia, etc.) by a variety of specialists (psychiatrists, psychotherapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, etc.) for the treatment of a wide range of neuropsychological disorders (depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, substance abuse, etc.).

Main topics of the workshop:

1. Introduction in the theoretical foundations of neurofeedback.
2. Specificities of neurofeedback therapy for psychoactive substance misuse.
3. Current possibilities for integrating neurofeedback in social work practice.

At the end of the workshop participants will:

1. Gain new insights into the complexities of the mind-body-behaviour connection and understand the importance of brain waves activity in the daily lives of people.
2. Understand the basic functioning of neurofeedback technologies and their potential for practical application in working with various client categories (people with ASD, depression, ADHD, trauma history etc.).
3. Learn how neurofeedback therapy can be applied in working with people with additions or misuse of psychoactive substances.

About the trainers

Daniela Gaba, PhD is a Lecturer in social work and postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest. Since 2018 she is co-founder and Training, Research and Development Coordinator at Neurofeedback Romania, official EEG Info and Bee Medic partner in Romania, where she contributes to the training of neurofeedback specialists from within the country and to generating research on neurofeedback focused on the Romanian population. Daniela has worked with persons from various social and age categories (at-risk children, youth and elderly, persons from disadvantaged contexts, persons that misuse drugs, etc.). Her research interests cover several thematic areas, among which international social work, social work professionalization, feminist social work, applications of neuropsychology in social work practice.

Aida Ivan is a psychotherapist, clinical psychologist, specialized in cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis and Ericksonian therapy, existential counseling, neurotherapist specialized in Neurofeedback therapy – Othmer method. Since 2019, Aida is a trainer and research collaborator of Neurofeedback Romania.

 

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* Social workers participating in the workshop are eligible to receive 2 professional credits from the National College of Social Workers in Romania.

Information on how to register for this workshop is available here.