Sound Start treatment plan
Evidence-based treatment for when tinnitus is mild but noticeable and bothersome
A FOUR-WEEK GUIDED SOUND THERAPY PROGRAM + EARBUDS FOR MILD TINNITUS
Fee: $500 (text based support and tinnitus app for sound) + $395 for Audeara Buds
WHAT IS THE SOUND START TREATMENT PLAN
Sound Start is a four-week program that shows you how to use sound to ease your tinnitus in a structured and supported way. You learn why tinnitus stands out in quiet places, and how the right sound at the right volume helps your brain pay it less attention.
You’ll use Audeara Buds, which are tuned to your own hearing, and also a free sound therapy app. Together we build your personal Sound Plan for the times your tinnitus bothers you most.
Each week has a short focus. Week 1 covers how tinnitus and sound work. In Week 2 you make and use your first Sound Plan. Week 3 reviews what’s helping and adds one area that matters to you, such as sleep or concentration. In Week 4 you bring it together.
Between check-ins, you follow short steps in a secure app, about 10 minutes a day. Each week I check in by message to see how you’re progressing, and we can adjust your plan.
HOW THE SOUND PLAN HELPS WITH TINNITUS
In a quiet room, tinnitus stands out, much like a candle in a dark room. Soft background sound lowers that contrast, so the tinnitus blends in and your attention moves away from it more easily.
Sound works best at a gentle volume, where you can still just hear your tinnitus underneath. This helps your brain get used to the sound instead of searching for it when things go quiet.
Research on sound therapy recommend combining it with education and support (Cima et al., 2019), and that’s how Sound Start works. The Sound Plan comes from Progressive Tinnitus Management, a sound-based coping program that has been tested in clinical trials (Henry et al., 2017).
For many people with mild tinnitus, four weeks is a good start. If you’d like more support afterwards, you can move on to Tinnitus Foundations or other support options if needed.
WHAT SOUND START CAN HELP WITH
Tinnitus that stands out less
Gentle sound softens the contrast between tinnitus and quiet rooms. Over the four weeks, your brain can become used to the sound blending in, so you notice it less often and it bothers you less when you do.
A plan you can follow
You’ll use your own Sound Plan for the moments your tinnitus bothers you most with the structure of clinical support and a guided process.
Easier nights and focus
Tinnitus often feels loudest at bedtime or when you’re trying to concentrate. In Week 3 you choose one of these to focus on, with practical sound and sleep or focus strategies matched to you.
Sound Start assessment & treatment plan
WHO IT’S FOR
The Sound Start Treatment Plan is for adults whose tinnitus is mild but still noticeable. You might hear it most at night or in quiet rooms, or notice it when you’re trying to focus. You’re coping well overall, and you’d like some guidance to help it settle into the background. If this sounds like you, Sound Start is a simple place to begin.
THE ASSESSMENT
Your Initial Tinnitus Assessment is a two-part appointment, via telehealth or in person. We discuss and assess your hearing, your tinnitus and how it’s affecting your daily life. You complete validated tinnitus questionnaires, so we can understand its impact 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 any questions and discuss a recommended plan, if you need one.
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 (4-WEEKS)
This program uses sound therapy methods from tinnitus programs that have been tested in research and are used in specialist clinics.
Over four weeks, you follow short steps in a secure app, about 10 minutes a day. Each week has one focus: understanding tinnitus and sound, making your first Sound Plan, reviewing what helps and choosing one area such as sleep or concentration, then bringing it all together.
Your clinician checks in with you by message each week to see how it’s going and adjust your plan if needed. At the end, you repeat your questionnaires so we can see what’s changed, and we talk about whether you’d like any further support.
THE SCIENCE
Tinnitus is usually generated by the brain, often as it adjusts to changes in hearing. The sound itself is rarely the whole problem. Distress builds when the brain treats tinnitus as important or threatening, so attention keeps returning to it (Cima et al., 2019).
Sound therapy works by giving the brain something gentler to listen to. Soft background sound lowers the contrast between tinnitus and silence, which makes the tinnitus easier to tune out. Soothing sound can ease tension, and interesting sound can draw your attention elsewhere when tinnitus is bothering you (Henry et al., 2017).
The research is honest about its limits. Studies of sound therapy on its own show mixed results (Sereda et al., 2018), so guidelines recommend pairing it with education and support (Tunkel et al., 2014; Cima et al., 2019). Sound Start does both. You learn how tinnitus works, and you get weekly support to build and adjust your Sound Plan. For people who need more, CBT for tinnitus has the strongest evidence base (Fuller et al., 2020).
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 $350, or $300 for pensioners, seniors card holders and students.
REFERENCES
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.
Henry, J. A., Thielman, E. J., Zaugg, T. L., Kaelin, C., Schmidt, C. J., Griest, S., McMillan, G. P., Myers, P., Rivera, I., Baldwin, R., & Carlson, K. (2017). Randomized controlled trial in clinical settings to evaluate effectiveness of coping skills education used with progressive tinnitus management. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(5), 1378–1397.
Sereda, M., Xia, J., El Refaie, A., Hall, D. A., & Hoare, D. J. (2018). Sound therapy (using amplification devices and/or sound generators) for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 12, CD013094.
Tunkel, D. E., Bauer, C. A., Sun, G. H., et al. (2014). Clinical practice guideline: Tinnitus. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 151(2 Suppl), S1–S40.