‘Amazing and Daunting’: Providers’ Perspectives on the Implementation of Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback has been used to help treat a wide variety of mental health issues. Despite studies documenting its clinical effectiveness, there is a significant gap in the literature on the determinants of neurofeedback’s use in mental healthcare practice. This study sought to fill this gap by utilizing the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to explore providers’ (n=20) perspectives on the implementation of neurofeedback via semi-structured one-to-one interviews. The qualitative analysis utilized grounded theory techniques to create an inductive codebook to reflect the implementation process and barriers and facilitators of implementation. The results aligned with the five domains of the CFIR. The most cited constructs were the complexity/steep learning curve, cost, and success providers have experienced with neurofeedback. These exploratory findings reveal implementation facilitators and barriers and a starting point for many different research questions exploring possible strategies to increase uptake of neurofeedback in routine mental healthcare.