Neuro-audiological counselling™ brings together three things that usually sit apart: audiological understanding, cognitive behaviour therapy for tinnitus, and sound therapy.

As an audiologist, I understand how hearing works and what's happening in your auditory system when you have tinnitus. As a counsellor, I work with the thoughts, emotions, and nervous system responses that build up around the sound over time. Sound therapy supports the process alongside both.

Bringing these together in one practice means your care addresses the sound, your brain's response to it, and how it's affecting your life, all grounded in evidence-based treatment.

This is one of the most common things people say when they first get in touch. Often you've had your hearing checked, been cleared by an ENT, and sent home with no real plan. The testing was looking for something to fix in the ear, and when nothing turns up, the conversation tends to stop there. The work here starts at that exact point. Tinnitus is a symptom from brain activity, but how much it intrudes on your life, your sleep, and your attention can change a great deal. That's what the programs are built around.

No referral is needed to book. That said, it's a good idea to have had your hearing checked and any medical causes ruled out first, particularly if your tinnitus is new, only in one ear, or came on suddenly. If you haven't done that yet, I can talk you through it. If you do have a referral or reports from your GP or ENT, bring them along, as they help build a fuller picture.

Both work equally well for tinnitus care and any counselling practice. Many health services in Australia have adopted telehealth as standard or an additional treatment delivery option. Most of what we do together is conversation, education, and practising strategies, all of which translate easily to video sessions and your in between session secure app. Most clients choose telehealth for the convenience, since it means taking part from anywhere in Australia without travel. In-person sessions are available in Katoomba NSW if you'd prefer to meet face to face. We can talk it through if you're unsure which suits you.

In person sessions are held within an established holistic health practice in Katoomba NSW. As most clients choose telehealth, spaces are limited. Clients attend the clinic from all over Australia, hence telehealth works very well to reduce geographical difficulties and provide access for clients with disabilities or illnesses.

You don't need to work this out on your own. Everyone starts with an Initial Tinnitus & Lifestyle Assessment, which is where we look at your tinnitus, your hearing, and how it's affecting your daily life. From there I'll recommend the plan that fits the severity and impact tinnitus is having. Your treatment plan may be shorter nd more foundational, or a fuller course of CBT for Tinnitus. The recommendation is always based on your situation, not a one-size-fits-all path.

The assessment is a 90-minute session and it's the starting point for everyone. Before we meet, you'll complete a couple of short questionnaires so we're not spending the session on paperwork. During the session we talk through your tinnitus history, how it's affecting your sleep, mood, concentration, and day-to-day life, and what you're hoping for. By the end you'll have a clear picture of what's going on and a recommended way forward, with the full cost of any treatment path discussed before you decide whether to go ahead.

The plans are matched to how much your tinnitus is affecting you, and they build on each other.

Tinnitus Foundations (5 weeks) suits mild distress and covers the essentials: understanding your tinnitus, sleep, concentration, and managing the thoughts and emotions that come with it.

Tinnitus Habituation Program (7 weeks) is for moderate distress and adds structured sound therapy, a focused sleep plan, and work on attention.

CBT for Tinnitus (10 weeks) is for moderate-to-severe distress and works in depth with the thoughts, beliefs, and avoidance patterns that keep tinnitus distressing.

CBT for Tinnitus+ extends that with three further review sessions for more complex situations.

The assessment is what tells us which of these fits you.

Each treatment plan combines live sessions with Gabrielle and activities you work through in your own time. The live sessions run by telehealth or in person. Between sessions, you'll have access to short readings, practices, and reflections through a secure app (desktop and phone options) made for this kind of structured care. Bookings and any questionnaires are handled through the clinic’s management portal. None of it is complicated, and Gabrielle will walk you through how it all works in session one of your plan.

Neuromonics is a structured sound therapy program over several months, and it can be a good fit for many people, on its own or alongside other treatment plans. Whether it suits you depends on your tinnitus and your goals, which is something we'd look at together during the assessment rather than deciding in advance. The clinic offers intakes at various points across the year to clients committed to a long term sound therapy habituation protocol with Gabrielle’s support

Everyone starts with the Initial Tinnitus & Lifestyle Assessment, which is $350 for a 90-minute session and is not covered by Medicare or private health insurance. Treatment plan fees vary depending on which suits you, and you'll have the full cost before you commit to anything. Medicare doesn't cover these services. The Blue Mountains Tinnitus Clinic is a private billing clinic. To make this affordable to all clients, there are various treatment plans available, and paying in blocks is an option. Gabrielle will discuss this with you at your assessment.

I want to be honest with you here, because there's a lot of misleading information out there. There's no treatment that reliably switches tinnitus off as a “cure”, and I won't promise one. Tinnitus is a symptom of a disrupted auditory system. What does change, and what the evidence supports, is how much tinnitus intrudes on your life. Many people reach a point where the sound is still there but no longer holds their attention, disturbs their sleep, or shapes their days. That process is called habituation, and it's what the treatment plans are built to support.

Outcomes and timeframes vary because everyone’s tinnitus and reactions to it vary. However, neuroscience recognises the ability of the brain to habituate to tinnitus and live a better quality of life. The effort and attention you put into your treatment plan is important and Gabrielle is here to encourage you throughout the week via you app text function.