Maggie Bagley, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Heart Math Specialist, Certified Clinical Nutrition Specialist
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been working in private practice and schools for over 20 years. I graduated from Illinois State University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Social Work and Sociology. After working in the foster care system in Cook County, I went on to obtain my Master’s in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Jane Adams School of Social Work in 2000. I worked in the Public School system for 8 years supporting regular and special education students with a variety of needs including Depression, Anxiety, Autism, ADHD, Behavior Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Developmental Delays, and Chronic Illnesses. I have also worked in private practice helping Adults, Children and Families with these diagnoses.
I have always believed that mental and physical health are closely linked and that we can improve our overall health and wellbeing by working on our bodies and brains at the same time. I am excited to be starting neurofeedback as well as health coaching for our patients. Neurofeedback is customized brain training designed to strengthen the brain’s wavelengths and connectivity. Your brain is “mapped” using quantitative EEG scanning, and a personalized training program is developed for you based on your brain map. Training involves several relaxing sessions where you watch a show/movie or listen to music as your brain learns to rewire itself by getting visual and auditory feedback. When done repeatedly, the brain learns to rewire areas where it may be expending too much energy, or it may be “stuck in neutral”. We use Heart Math before each session. Heart Math is another form of biofeedback that tracks your heart rate variability by helping you take slow deep breaths. Being mindful of your breathing sends messages to your brain to stay calm, even in stressful situations. Heart Math helps patients get calm and relaxed before neurofeedback sessions which in turn helps the brain train more effectively.
