Bringing Neurofeedback to a Public School District: Megan Delaney’s Story

How one Sadar-trained therapist is using neurofeedback to expand access and change student outcomes in New Mexico

At Sadar Psychological, we’re proud to support clinicians who are expanding access to neurofeedback and integrating it into new settings. Megan Delaney, LCSW, RPT is doing just that. As a school-based therapist in the Roswell Independent School District in New Mexico, Megan is using neurofeedback to give students access to growth that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. Her story is one of initiative, persistence, and the kind of leadership that can help reshape mental health care in schools.

From Curiosity to Commitment

In the fall of 2022, a psychiatrist from the Amen Clinic suggested Megan get trained in neurofeedback. “I had never even heard of neurofeedback at the time,” she shared. At the time, there were only three BCIA-certified providers in New Mexico—none within a three-hour radius of Megan. She began looking for a program that would give her a solid foundation and lead to board certification.

Megan chose to train with Sadar Psychological. “I liked that Sadar was comprehensive, self-paced, and could lead to board certification,” Megan said. She funded her own didactic course, computer, and equipment, which she would later utilize within the school district where she works.

After completing the didactic course, Megan traveled to Sadar’s offices in Phoenixville, PA for as much hands on learning as she could get. “I was in Phoenixville at Sadar for a month.” She participated in a weekend practicum, hours of mentorship with Mitchell & Angelika Sadar, and observations in our clinic. 

When Roswell Independent School District – where she was working in the Special Education Department at the time, received a grant to support development of mental health infrastructure within the school district, she interviewed and advocated strongly for neurofeedback. The district now leverages Megan’s expertise, uses her equipment and supports her in continuing her training and working toward board certification by paying for ongoing mentoring and Case Study Group (CSG) participation at Sadar Psychological Services. 

Why Neurofeedback Works in Schools

The Roswell Independent School District received a Project AWARE grant through SAMHSA to build mental health infrastructure in schools. Megan saw neurofeedback as an opportunity to offer something truly unique. “We wanted to build something and offer something that students can’t get anywhere else.”

Her current role includes working with students who have chronic mental health needs and supporting those with substance abuse issues. Because neurofeedback cannot be billed through school-based Medicaid, Megan pairs neurofeedback with other modalities like parent training and MET-CBT. “I don’t do a midline in isolation; I do it as a full biopsychosocial evaluation.”

For students with brain-based challenges, Megan sees neurofeedback as a way to bridge the gap between insight and action. “When I worked with kids in special eduction, we’d talk about all of these strategies, and they could learn them but couldn’t go beyond the therapy room because they had a brain-based disorder.” With neurofeedback, she’s seen those same students begin to apply their coping skills outside the therapy space. “Psychotherapy is so powerful, but when they have a brain-based need, it’s hard to put it into practice.” Neurofeedback lets them take that crucial final step of applying what they learn.

Successes in the School Setting

One student in particular stands out. “I did a midline assessment on a student this school year looking at some potential ADHD symptomatology. The student never had a lot of therapy in the past but felt like he was always getting into trouble and being the bad kid when he didn’t mean to be the bad kid.”

“When I was able to show him that midline, and talk him through what his strengths are and what his weaknesses are, it was affirming—that he had been seen and could see something quantitative that was matching what he was dealing with.” She adds, “It moves it away from ‘that’s just a kid saying that’ into concrete data that validates the student.” 

A Refreshing Approach—for Students and Clinicians

Megan notes that the shift from talk therapy to neurofeedback has been meaningful for both her clients and herself. “I’m just used to hearing all of this trauma. It’s so refreshing to work on brain needs without processing trauma in every sesion”.

“It’s got to be refreshing for them to talk about their goals and do a fun or relaxing training session. You’re really making stair step progress versus revisiting that cycle.”

“For clinicians who burn out, we burn out because we have so much weight all day long. With neurofeedback [that weight is lifted] and you’re still doing such important work for the client.”

Words of Wisdom for New Practitioners

Reflecting on her learning process, Megan is honest about the time it takes to become confident in neurofeedback. “Give yourself grace,” she says. “Coming from a psychotherapy where you’re using a lot of talk modalities, this is just a different form of supporting a person.”

“There’s also a large amount of understanding the biology and functioning of the brain. It takes time to learn it.”

She found the practicum especially helpful. “The best way for me to learn was the hands-on approaches and asking lots of questions. When you start to ask the questions, it all comes together, but it takes time to even know what questions to ask.”

She encourages others not to rush the process. “As therapists we’re used to ‘I’ll go for the week and get training’ and you submit an exam and you’re done. This does take time to learn, and I wish I had known to give myself time.”

“I thought I’d be this great neurofeedback provider after the didactic. But then I actually felt like I had opened Pandora’s box. I’m in year 2 and now it’s starting to really gel.” Megan is continually surprised by the variety of data that come from the midline assessments she does. “You also have to see all of these different brains” to build your confidence as a provider. 

“If I returned to the course now, there’s a lot more I’d probably pick up on.”

Looking Ahead

The Project AWARE grant runs through next year, and Megan is focused on sustainability. “It’s really about putting our infrastructure in place. We want to have billing in place so the district can see what this will look like in the coming years.”

She also hopes to demonstrate impact. “We’d like to close some cases. We have specific quantitative goals tied to student’s classes that we’ll be tracking this year—I’m excited to see where it goes!”

Finally, education is top of mind. “My goal for this year is also a lot of education for both school and community stakeholders.” She notes that even other mental health providers in the district don’t fully understand neurofeedback.

We’re honored to have played a role in Megan’s neurofeedback journey and are excited to see how her work continues to grow.

Interested in bringing neurofeedback to your school or clinical setting? Learn more about our BCIA-accredited training programs at sadarpsych.com.