The School of Psychology would like to invite you to this seminar on Tuesday 6th December, 12:00-13:00
We are delighted to announce our speaker Dr Hashir Aazh, Audiologist, Specialist in Tinnitus, Hyperacusis & Misophonia Rehabilitation
Abstract:
In this talk, a programme of audiologist-delivered CBT comprising 14 therapy sessions (via video calls) will be introduced. This is a specialised therapy for tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia rehabilitation and comprises four stages: I) Assessment, II) Preparation, III) Active treatment, and IV) Maintenance stage. The content of the therapy briefly comprises (1) education about tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia and relevance of CBT, (2) enhancing patient’s motivation to engage with the therapy process, (3) setting goals, (4) formulation, (5) identifying troublesome thoughts, (6) identifying avoidance behaviours and rituals, (7) SEL (Stop Avoidance, Exposure, & Learn from it), (8) KKIS (Know, Keep on, Identify, Substitute), (9) identify and challenge deeper thoughts and beliefs, and (10) integrating CBT into lifestyle (CBStyle). The data for 42 consecutive patients enrolled and completed the therapy programme will be reviewed. Out of 42 patients, 24% had tinnitus alone, 5% had hyperacusis alone, 38% had misophonia alone, 26% had tinnitus combined with hyperacusis, 2% had hyperacusis combined with misophonia and 5% had all three conditions. 22% of the patients were children, mean age 12 years old (SD=2.7, ranged between 8 to 15 years). The mean age for adults was 43.8 years (SD=16.3, ranged between 17 and 69 years old). Prior to start of the therapy, 65% of patients had at least one psychological symptom that met the “caseness” criteria of the UK mental health services. This reduced to 37% after the therapy. The mean Tinnitus Impact Questionnaire (TIQ), Hyperacusis Impact Questionnaire (HIQ), and Misophonia Impact Questionnaire (MIQ) reduced from 14.2 (SD=36), 12 (SD=9.2), 16 (SD=8.1), respectively, before treatment to 5.4 (SD=4.8), 4.5 (SD=5.2), and 8.3 (SD=7.2), respectively, after treatment. Patients’ confidence in managing their symptoms as measured via the 4C questionnaires (0 means not confident at all and 100 means fully confident in managing their symptoms) improved from 18 (SD=15) to 53 (SD=30.7) for tinnitus, 9 (SD=8) to 43 (SD=36) for hyperacusis, and 10 (SD=9.4) to 40 (SD=25) for misophonia. The mean pre-post treatment change in MIQ and 4C scores were not significantly different between children and adults. In this talk, we will explore the characteristics of patients who did not benefit from the treatment compared to those who did. For example, do patients who were receiving psychological/psychiatric care (medication or psychotherapy) in addition to their tinnitus/hyperacusis/misophonia-focused CBT show better outcomes compared to those who did not.
Biography:
Hashir is an audiologist specialised in tinnitus, hyperacusis and misophonia rehabilitation. He is the Director of Hashir International Specialist Clinics and Research Institute for Misophonia, Tinnitus & Hyperacusis based in Guildford. He has trained and supervised over a thousand of audiologists and psychologists in his tinnitus masterclasses and published over 50 research papers in the field of audiology. He is Honorary Hearing Research Consultant at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust and has served as Managing Editor of the journal Noise and Health, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Audiology, and the Secretary of the British Society of Audiology. He is the organiser of the International Hyperacusis and Misophonia Conference. His new book entitled “Living Well with Tinnitus: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural therapy” was published last month (Oct 2022). A recent independent ranking of biomedical experts recognised Hashir as the number one expert in hyperacusis in Europe (2nd in the world) between 2012-2022 (https://expertscape.com/ex/hyperacusis/c/eur).
ALL STUDENTS, UNIVERSITY STAFF AND EXTERNAL VISITORS WELCOME
We invite you to attend this seminar in person in 35 AC 04
