What is ANSA?

The Applied Neuroscience Society of Australasia (ANSA) is a membership organization of health professionals from Australia, Australasia and New Zealand, who are involved in the promotion of professional excellence in the fields of Applied Psychophysiology, Neurotherapy and Nutrition. ANSA works to obtain broad acceptance of this combination of disciplines as a viable treatment approach in mental health care and for optimal performance.

ANSA aims to:

• advance the scientific study and professional practice of applied neuroscience (biofeedback, neurotherapy, applied psychophysiology and nutrition);
• function as a professional and educational society in the field of applied neuroscience;
• promulgate, foster, and maintain high ethical standards in the use of applied neuroscience;
• advocate and promote applied neurosciences to professionals in the community;
• establish/support the achievement of best practice for clinical applications of applied neuroscience;
• promote training and further education for health professionals in the application of biofeedback, neurotherapy, applied psychophysiology, nutrition and other self-regulator modalities as therapeutic tools;
• nurture and/or maintain interactions with similar international Societies such as ISNR, AAPB, etc.;
• increase public & professional awareness of applied neurosciences as integral to the health system;
• Encourage research and expansion of clinical and educational applications of applied neurosciences.

Message from President ANSA

On behalf of the ANSA Executive Committee, I extend my sincere thanks to the APJNT Editorial Board for their efforts to bring you this first edition of the non-profit, on-line Asia Pacific Journal of Neurotherapy, a joint initiative between ANSA and the Asia Pacific Neuro-Biofeedback Association (APNA). I further extend my thanks to those contributors who have given of their time to prepare manuscripts for this first release of the journal.  Your work serves dual purposes for our readers: interpreting outcomes from research and practice; and modelling methodologies that may teach and encourage our peers to share their work.

Criticism of studies in our field may highlight sample sizes, randomization, control groups, and specificity of the treatment effects, however, well-designed single-case or uncontrolled studies may have valuable clinical utility. Furthermore, case studies may serve to test the feasibility of more systematic research of the efficacy of assessment and intervention methods.  I strongly encourage clinicians to develop their confidence and capacity to contribute to our field as scientist-practitioners.  Consider the following references:

Barlow, Nock & Hersen, (2009). Single Case Experimental Designs: Strategies for Studying Behavior Change, 3rd Edition, Pearson.

Kazdin, A. E. (2011). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings (2nd ed.). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.

Segool, N. K., Brinkman, T. M., & Carlson, J. S. (2007). Enhancing accountability in behavioral consultation through the use of single-case designs. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 3(2), 310-321. doi: 10.1037/h0100805

One proven strategy for developing work for publication is to share the topic as a presentation at a meeting of peers. In the context of an annual conference, for example the ANSA Annual Conference*, contributors tend to benefit from informal peer review and may subsequently refine their work for later submission to a peer-reviewed journal such as the APJNT.  (*To learn more about the ANSA Conference being held in Cairns 22–27 August 2019, please visit Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2019-ansa-conference-workshops-gateway-to-health-tickets-48189068802.

I trust that members of ANSA and APNA will come to value this journal as it promotes Neurotherapy research in clinical practice and provides a platform to showcase our knowledge and expertise.

Michelle Aniftos

ANSA President 2017 – 2109