Resident therapist, Julianne Mullen recently attended the prestigious American Academy of Audiology conference to present results of a pilot study showing the benefits of her counselling skills training for tinnitus practitioners.
The study recorded the experiences of five members of The Tinnitus Clinic’s audiology team who underwent six sessions of intensive counselling skills training.
The training aimed to improve the clinicians’ understanding of patients who exhibit significant anxiety and emotional distress with the goal of selecting treatment which is most appropriate for patients with heightened levels of anxiety.
The findings of the study revealed audiologists working with patients experiencing tinnitus for less than 3 months in duration, often find it difficult to understand and consequently manage patients with heightened states of anxiety.
As tinnitus can induce significant psychological suffering in patients, intervention from clinicians with mental health training is often required. Feedback from the practitioners revealed the training provided an increased awareness of the emotional states of their patients. The feedback also highlighted the importance of the clinicians’ ability to identify when precisely to refer a patient for further psychological support.
The encouraging results have laid the foundations for a larger and more significant study in future however for further information on the pilot study, please follow the link below.
http://www.eventscribe.com/2016/posters/AudiologyNow/SplitViewer.asp?PID=MjY0NzUxNDExNg#
