BrainTrainUK Team

OUR EXPERIENCE

Leaders in Neurofeedback

Our training approach models that of leading medical schools, to support our multiple modality approach to the Applied Neuroscience of EEG Biofeedback aka Neurofeedback, and our multi-disciplinary culture. Our experience at the highest levels of private and public healthcare means we lead the field in integrating Neurofeedback with your overall healthcare experience.

We are uncompromising in our selection of potential practitioners and have strict entry criteria. A Masters degree in a related subject is a prerequisite, unless you have many years of highly-relevant clinical experience (e.g. Nurse Practitioner). To work at BrainTrainUK practitioners must demonstrate a proven ability to work within a client-practitioner relationship and be able to cope with the challenges presented to those relationships within the field of mental health.

Stuart Black – Founder, Managing Director

Stuart has a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and a Master’s in Coaching & Development, based on the transpersonal psychology psychosynthesis. He has worked in industries from defence to healthcare delivering  innovation and change; he was on the Executive team at the Cromwell Hospital in Kensington from 2009 – 2012.

The intersection of technology and well-being led him to Neurofeedback and how it could be used for therapy and peak performance. Stuart credits Alpha neurofeedback training with Jim Hardt as key to his own personal development. Stuart founded BrainTrainUK in 2013.

Stuart has a special interest in using neurofeedback to remediate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). He is author of Neurofeedback for Developmental Trauma – Past, Present & Future, published in 2022.

Stuart and his wife Inta became Special Guardians for 3 children after a friend died suddenly in 2017. He’s a Trustee of and on the Family Rights Group kinship panel. In 2022 they became founding Trustees of the Family Support Group, a charity that supports kinship carers.

Stuart is currently undertaking a part-time PhD in Psychology at the University of Bath, supervised by Dr Neal Hinvest. His doctoral research is focused on the theory and application of inter-brain synchrony in human interaction. His particular interest is whether real-time feedback derived from the simultaneous recording of brain activity from two or more people could be used to enhance synchrony and interpersonal connection.

This builds on earlier work conducted in collaboration with Bournemouth University and postgraduate researcher Marcia Saul. As part of this work, Stuart co-authored the peer-reviewed paper “A Two-Person Neuroscience Approach for Social Anxiety: A Paradigm with Interbrain Synchrony and Neurofeedback”, published in Frontiers in Psychology.

View Stuart’s ORCID Research Profile.

Torey Hyman – Neurofeedback Technician, Farnborough

Zoe O’Sullivan – Neurofeedback Practitioner, Essex

Zoe became interested in Neurofeedback as a therapy for her son who has severe ADHD and having tried all other ways to support him (other than medication) she decided to look into this type of therapy due to its sustained outcomes.

Zoe’s degree was in Psychology and Law at Lancaster University and since the completion of this course she has explored Psychotherapy, EMDR, EFT and Counselling and has accreditations in all of these modalities. She has worked on a physical literacy programme for children with ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia and is a Governor at her son’s local school where she is both the Vice Chair and SEND lead.

She has the unique perspective of having been married to someone who was diagnosed, post 40, with severe ADHD and to have a son who has an EHCP for his condition. She has both professional and lived experience in this field.

Philippa Antell – Neurofeedback Practitioner

Philippa has been a nurse since 2008 and has recently specialised in sexual health and womens’ health with a focus on trauma informed care. Through her experience working in the healthcare system she developed a strong interest in the far-reaching effects of traumatic experiences on physical and mental health.

Impressed by the rapid results of neurofeedback for a family member, Philippa was inspired to become a neurofeedback practitioner because she recognised the unique potential of neurofeedback as a non-invasive modality to improve physical and mental well-being, with the important advantage for the client of being as easy as sitting down and watching a movie.

Anna Dybul – Neurofeedback Practitioner London, Sussex

Anna obtained her Master’s degree from the Pedagogical University of Slupsk, faculty of Education & Philosophy, and has worked within integrated and complementary therapy settings, including Neurofeedback,  in the UK and Poland.

Anna was first introduced to Neurofeedback in Poland in 2004.

Danae Rogers – Neurofeedback Technician, London

Danae has a BSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience and an MSc in Paediatric Neuropsychology from UCL, which deepened her interest in non-pharmaceutical approaches to brain-based care.

Danae was drawn to Neurofeedback as a therapy that supports the brain’s natural ability to regulate and adapt. She works with clients of all ages, combining scientific knowledge with a calm, person-centered approach. She wants to contribute to the growing evidence base for neurofeedback and help bring together clinical practice and neuroscience research; to show how powerful and adaptable the human brain is.

Arshiya Siddique – Neurofeedback Technician, London

Arshiya’s background encompasses diverse fields such as Neuroscience, Medicine, and Biological Sciences.

She currently serves as a research staff at the University of Westminster, actively contributing to transdisciplinary research endeavours in genomics and urban health.

Her journey has included an internship in biochemical research and participation in the renowned People to People Student Ambassador Program at Johns Hopkins University (USA).

These experiences uniquely equip her with a blend of scientific rigor and a profound understanding of healthcare, which she aims to leverage in her role as a Neurofeedback Technician. Arshiya’s aspiration is to foster an environment of trust and comfort, ensuring that clients not only experience exceptional care but also genuinely feel valued and supported throughout their sessions.

Saiba Abbas – Neurofeedback Practitioner, Birmingham

Saiba has a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with Psychology from Keele University, a Master’s degree in Clinical Neuropsychiatry from the University of Birmingham, and delivers Neurofeedback sessions in our Birmingham clinic.

When Saiba was 5, a friend tragically died of a brain tumour. Since then she has been fascinated by the brain and nervous system, fuelled by studying psychology at school and learning about the interaction of the physiology and psychology of the brain, as exemplified by  Phineas Gage, who had a rod go through his brain at a work accident, miraculously survived but was a completely different person afterwards. She went on to study Neuroscience, and soon after graduating, found her current role with BrainTrainUK.

Helping people with their brains is all Saiba really wanted to do, this role is everything that interests her in one, and she finds it infinitely rewarding.

Juliette Truman – Neurofeedback Practitioner Surrey, Hampshire

Juliette became interested in Neurofeedback as a therapy for her son who had a late diagnosis of Autism and ADHD.

Juliette’s first degree was in Sociology at Goldsmith College. She later took a postgraduate diploma in Psychology and an MSc in Occupational Psychology at Kingston Business School.

She has been a foster carer for seventeen years, caring for traumatised young people, which has given her a deep appreciation of the impact of childhood trauma.

Juliette is a Practitioner in Egham, Surrey and Farnborough, Hampshire.

Libby Herdman – Amino Acid Supplement Therapy

Libby Herdman is a registered nurse, and has seamlessly blended her medical expertise with a passion for holistic practices, transforming lives through an integrative approach to health. Libby is a dedicated healer with over four decades of experience in nurturing and empowering others on their wellness journeys.

Libby’s extensive qualifications in teaching, yoga, meditation, counselling, reiki, sound healing and amino acid therapy reflect her commitment to self-healing and well-being. With a diploma in Naturopathy and a compassionate heart, she is deeply driven to help others rediscover balance, vitality, and peace.

Libby’s mission is to support individuals in unlocking their innate healing potential, and fostering a healthier, more harmonious life.

Zuzana Radacovska – Neurofeedback Practitioner Home Training

After attaining a degree in Psychology at Presov University in Slovakia (focusing on health related behaviour, stress and chronic pain) and working as a member of a professional team of doctors and psychologists, Zuzana was an active participant in chronic pain and anxiety research which was consequently published in a number of medical journals.

Whilst working as a psychologist in Juvenile Justice Centre, Zuzana had the opportunity to discover the powerful field of biofeedback. But also she was able to truly experience how the daily exposure to trauma, suffering and pain of others can leave compassionate helpers and caregivers emotionally exhausted and lead to burnout.

Zuzana ran our clinic in Hertfordshire until the birth of her daughter in 2020. She is now focused on supporting our home training clients.

Kirsten Antoncich – Consultant

Kirsten studied Psychology at Nottingham , then moved into the teaching profession, teaching English and Psychology in SEN, working with young people with significant behavioural difficulties and Autistic Spectrum conditions. She continued studies at the Northern Guild in psychotherapy for a Master’s in Integrative Psychotherapy.

Registered with the BACP and the UKCP, Kirsten integrates psychodynamic approaches, neurobiology, transactional analysis and gestalt techniques. She currently runs a mental health service in the North East of England and has a private practice in Yorkshire. Kirsten’s areas of academic interest are somatic psychology, trauma, encopresis and enuresis, self harm and self regulation.

Kirsten is currently Senior Lecturer at University of Birmingham and is involved running a Unicef project in Ukraine.

Sairah Shah  – Education Consultant

Sairah graduated in History in History (Asia and Africa) from the University of London’s School of Oriental & African Studies where she also gained a Master’s in History. Sairah pursued her initial ambition to write for a newspaper and worked in Lahore, Pakistan for a daily broadsheet before returning to train to teach in History at The University of Bath. Sairah has taught History and been a successful education leader in a variety of mainstream contexts in including 5 secondary schools, an FE College and local authority for 20 years.

Her fascination in neuroscience started as a young learner herself in reading about the study of phrenology during the Victorian period. The modern developments in the field of Neuroscience became a focus of her pastoral support in schools 15 years ago from which point she has been seeking strategies and meaningful interventions to support the learners she has taught and supported by using her research and applying this to her practice.

Sairah believes that coming across the work of BrainTrainUK and the potential of Brain Mapping and Neurofeedback based on this, could be a breakthrough in education where no other intervention has  reached in assisting numerous young people achieve optimal brain function.

Sairah was Assistant Headteacher with Surrey County Council (SCC) Virtual School for Looked after Children. Sairah was instrumental in commissioning the SCC project with BrainTrainUK for looked-after children.

Sairah advises BrainTrainUK on our strategy for the educational sector.

BRAINTRAINUK VALUES

Our Values

Our values guide our direction and action:

Make a Difference – to be not just ‘The best in the World’ but ‘The best for the World’.

Service – to serve our clients and communities to make a difference.

Trust – to engender trust throughout our organisation, our client base and our communities.

Leadership – to set and deliver the agenda to establish Neurofeedback as a mainstream approach in the UK.

Independence – to be ‘21st Century Galileos’ and challenge conventional thinking.

Respect – to respect all approaches, evidence and individuals.

BRAINTRAINUK STANDARDS

Our standards of service

Although Neurofeedback is too new in the UK to be a regulated healthcare profession, and Neurofeedback is too new to be a regulated service, we have set standards to which we hold ourselves – our staff and practitioners – accountable. These Standards are broadly based on the principals of the standards adopted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for care services and the Health and Care Professions Councils (HCPC) for health professionals. Although not all parts of the CQC and HCPC standards are relevant, we have adopted standards for the following areas for our services: