Your initial Tinnitus Assessment
All new patients begin with an initial Tinnitus Assessment.
This is a through look at your tinnitus and how it’s affecting your sleep, mood, concentration and daily life. We also look at the sound itself and ways to help settle it in to the background of your life, including options for sound therapy.
After your first session you receive a written formulation report of results and companion guidebook explaining: your tinnitus history, questionnaire results, what they mean, any recommended referrals, and a suggested treatment plan. You read these in your own time, then attend a follow-up call with your clinician to discuss them and ask any questions you may have. Going on to treatment is not compulsory.
With your consent, a clinical summary report is sent to your referring doctor.
The comprehensive assessment is $400 ($350 for pension holders, seniors card holders, and students).
See below for more details about the assessment process.
SUMMARY OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Your assessment
Your initial assessment appointment gathers your tinnitus and hearing history, symptoms, and how tinnitus is impacting your daily life. This builds a fuller picture of what’s driving and maintaining the tinnitus. From there, a treatment plan is matched to how much tinnitus is affecting you. Not everyone will need a treatment plan and there is no obligation to begin treatment.
Your formulation
After your assessment, your history, symptoms, and results are reviewed and documented by your clinician. You then receive a formulation report and a companion guide to read in your own time before the follow-up call. These summary documents help you to understand your tinnitus better and to make a decision about your next steps for treatment that suits you.
Your follow-up & reports
At your follow-up call we discuss your formulation and preferred treatment path. After discussing your formulation, you receive a personalised treatment recommendation, setting out a plan matched to your results and goals. There is no obligation to proceed to a treatment plan. We then send a report to treating doctor/s with your consent.
How to begin treatment:
At your assessment you receive assistance with enrolment into your chosen treatment plan, including a summary booklet for your chosen plan before you start.
What happens in your assessment:
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We look at how tinnitus is affecting your sleep, concentration, mood, work or hobbies, and daily life. This is what makes the difference between being measured and being understood. Your tinnitus and your life both matter.
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Several evidence-based and validated tinnitus questionnaires establish a baseline of the impact tinnitus is having. That baseline can be re-measured over time, so any progress is something we review together through any treatment you choose.
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We understand that tinnitus can be wearing on your mood and stress levels. We check on this because it’s a normal part of living with tinnitus and is something we can help with.
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We help you understand why tinnitus can become distressing, and why that response can settle over time. For many people, understanding what’s happening is the first thing that helps settle it into the background over time.
Frequently asked questions
Before you book your assessment, it helps to have any questions answered. If you can’t find your answer here, please feel free to contact the clinic via email:
gabrielle@bluemountainstinnitusclinic.com.au
Use the button below to book your assessment at the clinic (telehealth via an easy link sent to you after you book. Limited face to face sessions available in the Blue Mountains, NSW).
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Tinnitus varies between people. What's driving yours (your hearing, your sleep, how your nervous system is responding, what the sound means to you) shapes what will help, so the assessment shows the full picture before we start.
It's how we rule things out. Sometimes tinnitus needs a medical review first with your GP or an ENT before we begin any treatment.
It gives us a starting point to measure from. We use standard questionnaires to see how tinnitus is affecting your sleep, mood, concentration and sense of control, so later in treatment we can both see what's changed.
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Once we've ruled out anything that needs medical attention, your clinician can explain what's actually going on for you. For some people, this lessens the worry.
If your main concern is to understand what the tinnitus means, your assessment can be enough for this.
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It helps to be somewhere quiet and private where you can talk freely for the length of the session.
Below are a few things that help if you have them:
Any past reports from your GP or ENT specialist regarding hearing or medical assessments carried out.
A current hearing test via an audiologist (if you don’t have this, Gabrielle can help with referral).
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No referral is needed. You can book an assessment directly, whenever you're ready.
If you've already seen your GP or an ENT. that's helpful. Bring any letters or test results with you, as they save us time and add to the picture.
If the assessment turns up something that needs a medical review, your clinician will help with any referrals.
Assessment & treatment to help settle tinnitus into the background of your life
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