WELCOME TO NAPMBC

Working Together

The National Association of Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians (NAPMBC) was created due to the lack of a credentialing body or standard of care for treating concussions and traumatic brain injuries.  The awareness and identification of concussions and their potentially long-term negative effects is continuing to grow, requiring not just management of concussions but treatment that allows people to recover from them.  A lack of training and standardization has left concussion identification, diagnosis, and treatment to the judgment and knowledge base of each independent clinician, which has produced a wide variety of outcomes.

CERTIFIED MEMBER

$199.00 Annually

Certified membership is reserved for licensed practitioners that have completed the required coursework and certification process necessary to become a level 2, 3, or 4 professional clinician.  Membership is granted upon completion of coursework.

NON-CERTIFIED OR STUDENT MEMBER

 Non-Certified Member $99.00 Annually

Non-Certified level 1 membership is reserved for professionals that meet our prerequisite requirements that have not completed required coursework for level 2, 3, or 4 certification.

 Student Member $75.00 Annually

Student membership is reserved for those currently enrolled in an accredited program or university and are working towards completing their degree or licensure.

SCHOOLS & ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

Schools and academic institutions become certified by successfully completing the following steps:

1. All relevant staff members (nurses, coaches, teachers) attend the 4-hour NAPMBC certification training.

2. All attendees must earn a score of 80% or greater on the training post-test.

Organizational membership is granted upon successful completion of the above steps and institutional certification.

SPORTS AND ATHLETIC INSTITUTIONS

Sports and athletic clubs and organizations become certified by successfully completing the following steps:

1.  All coaches, trainers, and other individuals as designated by the organization attend the NAPMBC certification training.

2. All attendees must earn a score of 80% or higher on the training post-test.

3. Organizational membership is granted upon successful completion of the above steps and institutional certification.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The National Association of Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians (NAPMBC) holds several key positions that are responsible for its existence and guide its decisions and functions.  These are the following:

1. Every person should have an annual examination of their brain function, in parallel or conjunction with annual physical health examinations.

2. Concussions can be effectively diagnosed, even if they occurred in the distant past.

3. Concussions are chemical injuries and must be treated as such.

4. Mild and moderate traumatic brain injuries are also chemical injuries and must be treated as such.

5. Individuals can recover from concussions and mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injuries, with no compensations, residual functional impairments, or subsequent heightened vulnerability to future concussions, even if those concussive injuries occurred in the distant past.

6. The diagnosis and treatment methods that apply to concussions, mild, and moderate traumatic brain injuries also apply to severe traumatic brain injuries.  Severe traumatic brain injuries that involve tissue and/or structural damage to the brain require additional treatment beyond that applied to concussions and less severe traumatic brain injuries and may not recover in the same way as concussions and mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injuries.

In acknowledgement of the positions noted above and in recognition of the lack of an accepted standard of care for concussion and traumatic brain injury treatment (not care or management) the National Association of Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians (NAPMBC), and its certification for psychological and medical clinicians, was created.  NAPMBC has established and now trains and certifies clinicians in an established concussion and traumatic brain injury standard of care.  The organization and the certification it provides greatly improves the quality and outcomes of concussion and traumatic brain injury treatment across providers and professional disciplines and serves to reduce inconsistency across treatment provided for concussion and traumatic brain injury recovery.

Concussions and traumatic brain injuries differentially affect all domains of brain function, which is explained in more detail elsewhere on this website.  Due to this fact, the term Biopsychosocial Clinician was developed to indicate that concussion and traumatic brain injury treatment must address the biological, psychological, and social (or relational) effects of these injuries.  No single treatment (psychological, visual, vestibular, pharmacological, manual, speech, occupational, etc.) can adequately address the comprehensive effects of the chemical concussive injury.

ROLE AND FUNCTION

The Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinician Certification process provides training, supervision, and ongoing education that will serve to standardize care across the field of concussion intervention and treatment and lead to consistent treatment outcomes.  There are separate certifications, training, and credentialing processes for psychological and medical providers, due to the differential effects of concussion in medical and psychological domains of function.  Additionally, the necessary treatment interventions for concussions and differing professional scopes of practice require a multi-disciplinary approach to effective concussion care and treatment.
 

Simply stated, Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians are trained and certified to treat concussions and brain injuries according to a scientifically sound, reliable standard of care.

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Psychological Biopsychosocial Clinicians

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Psychological Biopsychosocial Clinicians come from a wide range of professional disciplines including Psychiatric Technicians, Psychometrists, Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Psychiatrists.  These clinicians are professionally trained to provide assessment, supportive services, counseling, psychotherapy, psychological assessment and pharmacological interventions to those suffering from mental, emotional, and relational difficulties and disorders.  The Psychological Biopsychosocial Clinician certification process trains them to treat the specific Interpretive, Emotional, Cognitive, and Familial domains of concussions and traumatic brain injuries.

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Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians

Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians also come from a wide range of professional disciplines including Athletic Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Physical Therapists, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Optometrists, Ophthalmologist’s, and Physicians.  These clinicians are professionally trained to provide a variety of physical treatments for physical ailments and athletic injuries.  The Medical Biopsychosocial Clinician certification process allows them to treat the specific physical, postural, and organic domains of concussions and traumatic brain injuries.

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The combination of Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians allows for comprehensive treatment of all domains of brain function and full recovery from the concussive or traumatic brain injury.  Clinicians from both areas (Psychological and Medical) are necessary for achieving recovery in all domains.

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CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND COURSEWORK

The NAPMBC has designated four levels of certification for both Psychological and Medical Biopsychosocial Clinicians, and one student level of certification.  Requirements for each level are described  below:

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Student Level:  This level is provided for students who are enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited college or university.  When a student completes all requirements for student certification, upon graduation the student will receive the certification level appropriate to the level of education.

Level 1:  This level is provided for all individuals at any academic or professional level who  have begun but not yet completed the Certification process.

Level 2:  Individuals who wish to be certified at Level 2 must have a Bachelor’s degree prior in a field of study that allows them to function within their professional discipline (e.g. nursing, psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work, athletic training, exercise physiology, etc.).

Level 3:  Individuals who wish to be certified at Level 3 must have a Master’s degree and a professional license in a field of study and discipline that allows them to practice either independently or with supervision (e.g. counseling, psychology, nursing, PA, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, marriage and family therapy, etc.).

Level 4:  Individuals who wish to be certified at Level 4 must have a doctoral degree and a professional license in a field of study and discipline that allows them to practice independently (physicians, psychologists, DPT, Nurse Practitioners, etc.)

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TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

ACADEMIC/CONTENT (96 hours of training):

1. * Neuroanatomy and Function (24 hours.  Required course for Levels 1-4.)

2. Concussive Injury and Assessment (24 hours.  Required course for Levels 1-4.  Separate Psychological and Medical Clinician content)

3. Law of Finite Neural Resources (16 hours.  Required course for Levels 1-4)

4. Functional Domains (6 hours.  Required course for Levels 1-4.  Separate Psychological and Medical Clinician Content)

5. *Treatment (24 hours. Required course for Levels 1-4.  Separate Psychological and Medical Clinician Content)

6. RTL/RTP (Return to Learn/Return to Play) Protocols and Processes (2 hours. Required course for Levels 1-4)

7. Content is provided at appropriate professional and discipline level for Levels 2-4

8. Successful completion of Academic/Content portion of the Certification requires successfully passing each academic area noted above, plus a test at the completion of all academic training hours.

*Graduate course work can be substituted for some of the content.  Transcripts will be reviewed and credit granted on an individual basis.

CLINICAL CONTENT (1000 hours of supervised experience):

1. Supervision is provided by a Level 4 Psychological or Medical clinician and is accumulated at the rate of 1 hour of supervision per 40 hours of practice working with concussions or brain injuries.

2. Successful completion of Clinical portion of the Certification requires demonstrating and passing an assessment of competency following accumulation of all required supervised experience.

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CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Student:  

1.  Enrollment in an undergraduate or graduate program in an accredited college or university.

2. Successful completion of Academic/Content requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (96 hours)

3. Successful completion of Clinical Requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (1000 hours)

Level 1:  

1. Participation in Academic/Content requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (96 hours)

2. Participation in Clinical requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (1000 hours)

Level 2:

1.  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university

2. Successful completion of all Academic Content requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (96 hours)

3. Successful completion of all Clinical requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (1000 hours)

Level 3:

1.  Master’s degree in a clinical discipline from an accredited college or university

2. Successful completion of all Academic Content requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (96 hours)

3. Successful completion of all Clinical requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (1000 hours)

4. Successful completion of minimum of 500 hours of supervised clinical practice in the individual’s professional discipline

Level 4:

1.  Doctoral degree in a clinical discipline from an accredited college or university

2. Successful completion of all Academic/Content requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (96 hours)

3. Successful completion of all Clinical requirements for Medical or Psychological Certification (1000 hours)

4. Successful completion of a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice in the individual’s professional, along with a completed pre-doctoral internship or residency as required by the individuals academic program of study or professional discipline.

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