Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for tinnitus
Evidence-based treatment for when tinnitus is distressing or impacts your sleep, mood or focus
TEN WEEKLY SESSIONS WITH IN-BETWEEN SUPPORT
WHAT IS COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY FOR TINNITUS
CBT for tinnitus is a structured therapy that works on how you respond to tinnitus: your thoughts about the sound, stress reactions, and the actions you take that allow it to settle into a harmless background sound as your brain adapts with less alarm.
CBT is the most researched psychological treatment for tinnitus, and European guidelines recommend it as the first-line treatment for tinnitus distress (Cima et al., 2019).
Each week we focus on one area tinnitus tends to affect. These include understanding tinnitus, relaxation, shifting your attention, sleep, unhelpful thoughts, and returning to situations you’ve started avoiding.
Between sessions, you practise short exercises in the app so the skills fit into your everyday life. The final sessions help you plan for setbacks, so you leave with a way to manage spikes over time.
HOW CBT HELPS WITH THE IMPACTS OF TINNITUS
CBT assists your brain to stop treating tinnitus as a threat. When the sound feels less alarming, your attention moves away from it more easily, and over time tinnitus settles further into the background.
Research shows CBT reduces how much tinnitus affects your quality of life, and it can also help with sleep, anxiety and low mood (Fuller et al., 2020; Beukes et al., 2018).
Many people have tinnitus and it doesn’t cause concern, and even if your tinnitus is distressing right now, this can change. What changes for people who find it distressing is how much tinnitus bothers you, and how much you notice it in your day. For many people, that is what improves quality of life.
The biggest factor in treatment is hope and persistence and this is why a structured and supported program is so important for people with tinnitus.
CBT assessment & treatment plan
WHO IT’S FOR
CBT for tinnitus is for adults whose tinnitus is having a big effect on their daily life. You might notice it most at night when you’re trying to sleep, or find it harder to focus at work or with family. Some people feel anxious, frustrated or have low mood because of it, or start avoiding quiet places and social plans. If this sounds familiar, a structured plan of CBT is important.
THE ASSESSMENT
Your Initial Tinnitus Assessment is a two part appointment, via telehealth or in person. We discuss and assess your hearing, tinnitus, and how it’s affecting your sleep, mood and daily life. You complete validated tinnitus questionnaires, so we can work out the impacts and track your progress over time.
Afterwards, you receive a formulation letter and booklet, and we meet again on a call to go through your results, answer extra questions you may have, and discuss a recommended plan (if you need it).
With your consent, I also send a report to your doctor. The assessment fee is $400, or $350 for seniors, pensioners and students.
For more information about the assessment, go to this page.
THE TREATMENT PLAN (10-WEEKS)
This program follows the structure of CBT for tinnitus programs that have been tested in research and used in specialist clinics.
We meet weekly via telehealth for ten sessions. Each week focuses on a different area, such as understanding tinnitus, relaxation, sleep, managing worrying thoughts, and getting back to activities you’ve been avoiding.
Between sessions, you practise short exercises in the app and can send me a message if you have questions. Towards the end, we make a plan for any setbacks and repeat your questionnaires to see how far you’ve come
THE SCIENCE
European tinnitus guidelines recommend CBT as the first treatment to try for tinnitus distress (Cima et al., 2019). A Cochrane review found CBT helps reduce the impact tinnitus has on quality of life (Fuller et al., 2020). It doesn’t usually change how loud tinnitus sounds, but it does change how much it bothers you. Guided CBT for tinnitus works well whether it’s delivered online or face to face (Beukes et al., 2018), and the benefits have been shown to last at one-year follow-up (Beukes et al., 2019).
How to book
Every patient starts with an Initial Tinnitus Assessment. You don’t need to know which treatment plan is right for you before you book, as we’ll work that out together. The assessment fee is $400, or $350 for pensioners, seniors card holders and students.
REFERENCES
Beukes, E. W., Andersson, G., Allen, P. M., Manchaiah, V., & Baguley, D. M. (2018). Effectiveness of guided internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy vs face-to-face clinical care for treatment of tinnitus: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, 144(12), 1126–1133.
Beukes, E. W., Andersson, G., Manchaiah, V., & Kaldo, V. (2022). Cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus. Plural Publishing.
Beukes, E. W., Manchaiah, V., Allen, P. M., Baguley, D. M., & Andersson, G. (2019). Internet-based interventions for adults with hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trends in Hearing, 23, 2331216519851749.
Cima, R. F. F., Mazurek, B., Haider, H., Kikidis, D., Lapira, A., Noreña, A., & Hoare, D. J. (2019). A multidisciplinary European guideline for tinnitus: Diagnostics, assessment, and treatment. HNO, 67(Suppl 1), 10–42.
Fuller, T., Cima, R., Langguth, B., Mazurek, B., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., & Hoare, D. J. (2020). Cognitive behavioural therapy for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, CD012614.