Brain Coach Bootcamp
Two-week intensive online training in Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health.
A foundational course in applied neuroscience for time-poor professionals working in the fields of human behaviour, mental health, education and wellbeing.
Curriculum, certification and lifetime membership options are identical to those offered by the 12-week Neuroscience Academy program (link to details here) .
Next course to run early 2021 (dates to be finalised)
Discover
Neuroscience
Master basic brain anatomy & physiology + the neurobiology of stress, emotion, cognition, development & ageing.
Explore
the mind, brain & behaviour
Gain insights into brain plasticity, habits & motivation, intuition, resilience, gut-brain health & nutrition, sleep & social connection.
Implement
brain science
Use evidence-based tools for mental wellbeing & healthy ageing to help yourself & the people you work with flourish.
How do you use neuroscience to help others?
If you're a mental health worker, therapist, coach or educator you'll know brain science can change the lives of the people you work with.
Neuroscience explanations can be powerful and persuasive tools for change. But, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility—so brain science must be used wisely!
The Brain Coach Bootcamp provides busy professionals with a solid non-hyped introduction to the field of applied neuroscience—with a particular focus on evidence-based tools & strategies.
Enrolment in the Brain Coach Bootcamp will give you LIFETIME access to:
++ 9 online video modules (taught over 14 intensive days in July 2020). Full curriculum details click here.
++ 5-day Pre-Bootcamp workshop during enrolment week (20-25th July)
++ Daily live Q&A sessions with Dr Sarah McKay.
++ Summary notes and worksheets for every lesson. You’ll always have handy access to the most important concepts from each lesson.
++ An extensive hand-picked library of resources, including open-access research papers, books, TEDx talks, articles, and interviews.
++ Step-by-step guides on how to source, read, and understand scientific research articles.
++ A growing library of in-depth interviews with academics and experts in gut-brain health, positive psychology in coaching, education, and healthy ageing.
++ On successful completion of an online quiz students may be award a certificate in Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health, equivalent to 27 hours CPD.
See www.theneuroacademy.com for details of curriculum.
Start transforming the minds of your clients.
Leave your name and email for early enrolment notifiation.
And get a head-start on using neuroscience, wisely.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Brain Coach Bootcamp and the Neuroscience Academy are unique and premium continuing education program designed for coaches, therapists, health and wellness industry professionals, trainers, HR professionals, and educators.
In 2020 we offer a number of enrolment options:
- SCHOLAR. For students wishing to join the live two-week intensive + gain certification + CPD hours: $1495 AUD.
- PAYMENT PLAN. Payment via 4-month plan: 4 x $395 AUD. Click here to pay via payment plan.
Note payment quoted is AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS and are inclusive of GST for Australian customers only.
For an online currency conversion tool click here.
We are all busy, so the course is designed with busy people in mind.
Enrolment fee includes LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to the program including ongoing training and support.
Set aside 2-3 hours per day during the live two week training, if you wish to also attend the one-hour live Q&A call.
- Each lesson is split into 6-8 short videos of 3-10 minutes (including theory + practical application + homework suggestions).
- Modules are released daily, and you retain access to them after the course finishes.
- Attendance at the 1 hour Q&A call is voluntary.
- Any extra reading or research is OPTIONAL.
- Five lessons will be taught during the pre-Bootcamp workshop (20-25 July). These daily lessons will be recorded and available to complete at any time during the two-week program.
Study at your own pace. Once the live course is complete you can dip into and out of any lessons and resources at any time.
Live Q&A calls are held via Zoom every day at either 8am or 8pm AEST/Sydney, NSW, Australia.
(See here for a global time zone conversion tool.).
We vary the call time each week to cater for all global time zones. Over 5 years of teaching the program we have determined these times to be most suitable for students in different timezones to attend.
Q&A calls are recorded and available on the student portal for that who can’t attend.
Yes!
The Brain Coach Bootcamp is a version of The Neuroscience Academy which offers students the equivalent of 27 hours of professional development training, which is formally recorded on a certificate after course completion.
The certificate of completion states students have completed training in ‘Applied Neuroscience and Brain Health’. The course is NOT a professional qualification. It is for professional development purposes.
The Neuroscience Academy is an approved provider of Continuing Coach Education for 2020/2021 with the International Coaching Federation (20 hours CCE + 7 hours RD). See here for ICF details.
Many organisation and accreditation bodies allow members to self-assess their professional development. Please check your individual circumstances with your organisation/accreditor. Contact us if you have suggested organisations or accreditation bodies.
Here in Australia, many students have applied for CPD points with the Australian Psychological Society (APS), the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, and NSW Teacher Identified Professional Development (TIPD).
To gain certificate of completion and to be eligible to apply for professional development hours/points you’ll need to pass the multi-choice test with an 80% pass rate. The quiz is released during the final week of the course.
I want you to be satisfied with your purchase, and to give your best effort to apply the strategies and learnings from the course. I offer a 30-day refund period for purchase if you believe the course is not of acceptable quality or does not match the curriculum description.
If the video lessons have been viewed, or the quiz attempted within this 30-day period a refund will not be made.
Refunds will not be provided more than 30 days following the date of purchase. After day 30, all payments are non-refundable and you are responsible for full payment of the fees for the program whether or not you complete the program.
Please note: If you opt for a payment plan and you do not request a refund within 30 days, you are legally required to complete the remaining payments of your payment plan.
All refunds are discretionary as determined by Dr Sarah McKay trading as Think Brain Pty Ltd ABN 19626919266.
Refunds will not be made due to changed financial circumstances within the two week course. Refunds will not be made due to a ‘change of mind’.
We may revise and update Terms of Use or Refund Policy from time to time in our sole discretion. All changes are effective immediately when we post them.
1. FOUNDATIONS OF NEUROSCIENCE
BEGIN (Taught during pre-workshop)
— Introduction to Health Neuroscience
We’ll take a look at neuroscience and its relationship to health and wellness. You’ll be introduced to a foundational model of the course- the Bottom-Up, Outside-In, Top-Down model of brain health. We’ll discuss what neuroscience can and can’t tell us about ourselves, and you’ll learn essential tips to tease out neuro-fact from neuro-fiction.
BRAIN
– Overview of Nervous System Anatomy
I’ll take you on a whistle-stop tour through the brain to the peripheral, autonomic and enteric (gut) nervous systems. You’ll learn a ‘handy’ way to discuss brain anatomy with clients, and we’ll discuss what the mind is and where it might be found.
SYNAPSE
— Neurons, Synapses and Neural communication
In this lesson, we’ll take a look at the nuts and bolts of neurons, and how neurons communicate. You’ll understand how synapses function, and you’ll learn how to explain the basics of synapses and neural communication to others.
2. NEUROPLASTICITY
REWIRE (Taught during pre-workshop)
– Changing Brains and Minds.
Can your thoughts really rewire your brain? Do we produce new brain cells throughout life? What are synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, and cortical reorganisation, and when, where and why do they occur? I’ll share with you a simple story you can re-tell about the amazing capacity of the brain to change. You’ll learn the second foundational model of the course – the REFIRE method.
3. FUNDAMENTALS OF BRAIN FUNCTION
THINK
– The Cognitive Brain
You’ll receive a simple overview of the prefrontal cortex and its role in cognition (thinking). You’ll learn how the brain pays attention, makes decisions, and why it can’t multi-task. We’ll take a look at how emotions and thinking are intimately intertwined, and how to foster metacognition (thinking about thinking) in the people you work with.
FEEL
– The Emotional Brain
In this lesson, we’ll continue our exploration of how thinking and feeling are entwined. We’ll dig into the neuroscience of emotions (‘good’ and ‘bad’), and how the brain processes fear and anger, happiness and love.
4. THE NEUROSCIENCE OF LASTING CHANGE
AIM (Taught during pre-workshop)
– The Neuroscience of Motivation
You’ll get clear on the neuroscience of motivation. And you’ll be introduced to another foundation model of neuroscience ‘The Will and The Way’. We’ll learn how to use mental rehearsal or visualisation, and revise the latest research on fixed and growth mindsets.
CHANGE
– The Neuroscience of Habits and Change (Taught during pre-workshop)
Understanding habits and facilitating change are fundamental to your work with clients. But what happens in the brain when habits are formed? If the brain is plastic, why is it so hard to break an old habit, but easy to learn a new one?
5. MIND, BODY AND WISDOM.
MIND
– The Mind-Body Connection
Can you really change your health by changing your thoughts? We’ll discuss evidence from mind-body medicine research. We’ll take a look at the amazing power of placebo (and its ‘dark side’, the nocebo effect) and how it directly relates to the quality of the therapeutic relationship. Finally, we’ll look at psychoneuroimmunology and the neuroscience of the mind-brain-immune connection.
AGE
– The Ageing Brain
We’ll consider the neuroscience of brain ageing. Is memory loss inevitable with age? You’ll get clear on what the research says about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia (and the difference between the two). Learn why ageing is also about growing in experience, wisdom and judgment. You’ll discover the difference between normal memory lapses and memory problems that need to be addressed by a medical professional.
AHA
– The Neuroscience of Creativity and Insight
Explore the concept of flow and how it turns everyday experiences into an opportunity for self-fulfilment and mental wellbeing. Learn how to foster creativity, and what happens in your client’s brain during insight or ‘aha’ moments.
6. KEY STRATEGIES FOR BRAIN HEALTH AND WELLNESS (PART 1)
MOVE
– Brain Health and Physical Exercise
Get clear on why the best exercise for the brain is physical exercise. We’ll discuss the relationship between exercise, mood and mental health, and we’ll take a look at how exercise promotes neuroplasticity and slows brain ageing.
SLEEP
– Sleep and Napping
We’ll delve into sleep (and napping), and circadian rhythms, and learn why they are vital to brain health and performance. Learn about the intimate interplay between neurotransmitters, sleep and mental health, and the role for sleep in promoting neuroplasticity. Finally, we consider what happens to your brain when you dream.
7. KEY STRATEGIES FOR BRAIN HEALTH AND WELLNESS (PART 2)
NOURISH
– Nutrition and the Gut-Brain Connection.
Examine the current evidence on the best diet for brain health. We’ll also explore the research on the gut-brain-microbiome connection. And we’ll take a look at brain ‘super-foods’, and the effects of sugar, coffee, grains and alcohol on the brain—what does the research say?
CONNECT
– Belief and Belonging.
Our brain has a fundamental need to connect and understanding this is vital to your work. We learn how friends and family impact cognitive reserve and take a look at research showing that having passion and purpose protects against brain ageing.
8. KEY STRATEGIES FOR BRAIN HEALTH AND WELLNESS (PART 3)
CALM (Taught during pre-workshop)
– Stress, Mindfulness, and Meditation.
This lesson has been designed to look at the impact (good and bad) of stress on the brain. We’ll examine what neuroscience says about meditation and mindfulness, and how they affect brain structure and function.
CHALLENGE
–Brain Health and Mental Exercise.
What is cognitive reserve and why is building it useful? What does the research say about computer-based / cognitive brain-training? Take a look at evidence why you should partner with your client to become their brain-training coach.
