HeartMath Clinical Certification for Stress, Anxiety and Emotional Regulation

Get Certified in HeartMath

Stress and anxiety have a major impact on the health and well-being of your patients. What if you could teach them simple techniques that could help them connect with their heart to manage stress and learn to regulate their emotions?

Science demonstrates that we can train our autonomic nervous system to support our well-being. Evidence-based techniques provide objective and measurable ways to see improvements in physiological and behavioral functioning.

Learner Notification

Over six online sessions, you’ll learn:

  • Brief interventions for emotional regulation to help patients take charge of their health and well-being
  • The science of self-regulation to motivate your patients to engage in effective self-care
  • Methods to show your clients changes in their physiology and emotional states

Course Overview

After completing this course, you will receive:

  • Certification as a HeartMath® Certified Practitioner upon completion of an exam. Certification is limited to health professionals who are licensed or certified and working with clients and patients primarily on physical or mental health-related issues. Students in a formal health professional training program, and those who work under supervision are also eligible for certification.

Upon certification, you may apply to be listed in the HeartMath Provider Directory. Listing is at the sole discretion of HeartMath LLC.

Course Topics

  • Six HeartMath techniques for self-regulation and emotional management
  • Importance of coherence and its role in mental, emotional and physical health
  • Individual and group protocols with practical ways to increase patient engagement
  • Heart Rate Variability – clinical applications such as anxiety, pain, PTSD, sleep disorders, ADHD and more

$395 Sale Price: $195

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Get to Know the Course In-depth

Agenda and Course Components

The course is divided into six one-hour online units.

The course includes:

  1. Intro and Overview
    1. Stress and intelligent energy management
    2. Autonomic nervous system and emotional regulation
    3. Resilience building
  2. Coherence Model and Heart-Brain Communication
    1. Coherence and its impact on the human system
    2. Heart’s own complex nervous system: the “heart brain”
    3. Technique: Quick Coherence®
  3. Relational Energetics and Self-Care
    1. Our emotions and attitudes affect the heart’s magnetic field
    2. Provider/practitioner self-care impact quality of care
    3. Technique: Heart Lock-In®
  4. Heart Rate Variability
    1. Deepening the understanding of heart-rate variability
    2. Clinical applications
    3. Technology options for heart-rate variability and coherence measurements
    4. Technique: Attitude Breathing™
  5. Brief Intervention Protocol
    1. Clinical case studies
    2. Sample brief protocol
    3. Technique: Freeze Frame®
  6. Multi-Session Protocol and Special Populations
    1. Complexity and the mind-body connection
    2. Clinical applications, complex patients (ie: PTSD, depression, anxiety, children)
    3. Multi-session protocol

Learning Objectives

Class 1: Scientific Foundation of Self-Care Interventions (280 minutes)

  • Discuss domains of resilience and the importance of intelligent energy management for self-regulation of stress, emotions and creating resilience
  • Describe how to use the self-regulation techniques personally and with patients to improve health and well-being

Class 2: Coherence Model and Heart-Brain Communication (222 minutes)

  • Discuss the impact of increased coherence on heart rate variability, brain function and emotional well-being
  • Analyze the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system and its relationship to coherence
  • Apply emotional refocusing techniques to support a coherent state in moments where stress management and emotional regulation skills are needed

Class 3: Relational Energetics, Communication and Self-Care. (210 minutes)

  • Identify and interpret the concepts of relational and emotional energetics and its impact on patient care
  • Summarize the importance of effective communication in healthcare interactions
  • Describe how to apply an active practice of self-care and communication techniques to improve health outcomes

Class 4: Heart Rate Variability (221 minutes)
At the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • Review and discuss the importance of HRV analysis as related to clinical outcomes
  • Discuss and practice emotional restructuring techniques to replace incoherent HRV states with states that support healthy change

Class 5: Brief Intervention Protocol (210 minutes)

  • Discuss the defining factors which determine a client’s appropriateness for a Brief Intervention protocol
  • Identify specific treatment goals and objectives for a given patient profile

Class 6: Multi-Session Protocols and Special Populations 

  • Compare and contrast the key differences between multi-session, brief intervention, group and crisis/acute care approaches using heart-rate variability tools and techniques
  • Summarize clinical symptoms/disorders related to “under-arousal” and “over-arousal” and the connection between the two condition

Course References:

  • Culbert, Timothy. Perspectives on Technology-Assisted Relaxation Approaches to Support Mind-Body Skills Practice in Children and Teens: Clinical Experience and Commentary. Children: 2017. Vol 4(20).
  • Dijkstra, M; Soer, R; Bieleman, A; McCraty, R; Oosterveld, F; Gross, D; Reneman, M. Exploring a 1-Minute Paced Deep Breathing Measurement of Heart Rate Variability as Part of a Workers’ Health Assessment. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (2019) 44:83-96.
  • Elbers, Jorina MD et al. Clinical Profile Associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Advent of Nervous System Dysregulation. Children 2017, 4, 98; doi:10.3390/children4110098.
  • Lucy H. Field, L., Stephen D. Edwards, David J. Edwards, and Sarah E. Dean. Influence of HeartMath Training Programme on Physiological and Psychological Variables. Global Journal of Health Science; Vol. 10, No. 2; 2018. ISSN 1916-9736 E-ISSN 1916-9744.
  • Mather and Thayer. How Heart Rate Variability Affects Emotional Regulation Networks. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. 2018. Volume 19. pp 98-104.
  • McCraty, R. Heart‐Brain Neurodynamics: The Making of Emotions. In Issues of the Heart: The Neuropsychotherapist special issue, M. Dahlitz, & Hall, G., Editor 2015, Dahlitz Media: Brisbane. p. 76-110.
  • Williams, et al. Difficulties in emotion regulation. Front Psychol, 2015. 6: p. 261

$395 Sale Price: $195

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Faculty Bio

Timothy Culbert

Timothy P. Culbert, MD, FAAP, IFMCP

Developmental Pediatrician / Pediatric Integrative Medicine
Medical Director of Integrative Medicine, PrairieCare, A University of Minnesota Medical School Affiliate

EDUCATION

  • Medical Degree: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
  • Residency: University of Vermont
  • Fellowship: Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota
  • Board Certification: Pediatrics, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Biofeedback and Medical Hypnosis
  • Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner

EXPERIENCE

  • Dr. Culbert’s medical special interests include holistic mental health, chronic pain, self-care skills for kids, complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine, nutritional intervention and biofeedback.
  • Expertise in clinical use of HeartMath and as a HeartMath faculty instructor

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota; adjunct professor at the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota.
  • Dr. Culbert’s new book for kids, “Be Fit, Be Strong, Be You,” from FreeSpirit Publishing, won first place in the Midwest Booksellers Association Awards in the children’s nonfiction category; the book reviews healthy lifestyle choices for kids in a fun and activity-oriented manner.

ACADEMIC AFFILIATION

  • Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee, Section on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine

SPECIAL CLINICAL INTERESTS

  • Holistic mental health
  • Chronic pain
  • Self-care skills for kids
  • Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine
  • Nutritional intervention
  • Biofeedback

Eligibility for Certificate of Completion

Course enrollment is open to all learners. A certification document will be issued to eligible health professional learners who choose to take the multiple-choice question exam and pass with >80% correct. Repeated attempts at the exam are accepted to obtain the passing mark.

Additional Criteria to become a HeartMath® Certified Practitioner:

  1. Professional Standards
    State, provincial or nationally licensed or certified professionals as listed below:
    • Licensed Mental Health Professionals
    • Licensed Medical Professionals
    • Certified Health Professionals (training must include consultation, mentoring, in-person training, or internship)
    • Students in a licensure-track medical or mental health educational program

    If you have questions about your professional eligibility for certification, please complete this Certification Eligibility Request form

  2. Educational Standards
    Applicants must achieve >80% on the course final exam.

  3. Required Documentation of Certification Eligibility
    Applicants will be required to upload a copy of their professional designation document(s) indicating proof of current licensure, certification, or student status.

Upon certification, licensed and certified health professionals in independent practice can apply to be listed in the HeartMath Directory of Certified Professionals. Listing is at the sole discretion of the HeartMath LLC.

CE Information

Acknowledgement of Financial Commercial Support

No financial commercial support was received for this educational activity. Acknowledgement of In-Kind Commercial Support No in-kind commercial support was received for this educational activity.

Satisfactory Completion

Learners must listen to each self-directed audio recording while following along with the visual slides/read the articles, pass the post-test with a score of 80% or higher and complete an evaluation form to receive a certificate of completion. Your chosen sessions must be attended in their entirety. You must participate in the entire activity as partial credit is not available. If you are seeking continuing education credit for a specialty not listed below, it is your responsibility to contact your licensing/certification board to determine course eligibility for your licensing/certification requirement.

HeartMath has been approved to offer continuing education by the following:

NEUROFEEDBACK AND BIOFEEDBACK PRACTITIONERS: HeartMath Clinical Certification is approved by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) for seven hours of CE credit towards biofeedback and neurofeedback recertification. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

The Health Coach Alliance: For Health Coaches: HeartMath Clinical Certification for Stress, Anxiety and Emotional Management has been approved by the Health Coach Alliance for 20 CEC’s upon successfully passing the final quiz with a mark of 80% or higher. Please contact [email protected] for details.

The Canadian Association for Integrative Nutrition: For Holistic Nutritionists: The Canadian Association for Integrative Nutrition recognizes the HeartMath Clinical Certification for Stress, Anxiety and Emotional. Please contact [email protected] for details.

Objectives – After Attending This Program You Should Be Able To

  • Analyze the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system and its relationship to coherence
  • Demonstrate the impact of increased coherence on heart rate variability, brain function and emotional well-being as related to clinical outcomes
  • Discuss domains of resilience and the importance of intelligent energy management for self-regulation of stress, emotions, and creating resilience

FAQS

List of Technical Requirements

Client requirements

Browser support
The uses Moodle, which is compatible with any standards compliant web browser. We regularly test Moodle with the following browsers:

Desktop:

  • Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Safari
  • Edge
  • Internet Explorer

Mobile:

  • Safari
  • Google Chrome

Notes:

Legacy browsers with known compatibility issues with Moodle 3.6:

  • Internet Explorer 10 and below
  • Safari 7 and below