PLEASE NOTE: There is a fee for most Tinnitus Clinic services. See below for details.
What we do
Tinnitus management counselling
Living well with tinnitus and decreased sound tolerance means knowing what tools are right for you. At the St. Paul's Hospital Tinnitus Clinic, our goal is to help you find a path forward that is specific to your needs.
We provide tinnitus management counselling sessions in person or via Zoom. During your appointment, you will meet with the tinnitus audiologist who will take a detailed history and may perform additional hearing tests. The tinnitus audiologist will provide answers to questions such as -
Why do I have tinnitus?
What does tinnitus mean for my health?
Why do I find certain sounds so uncomfortable? Are they damaging my hearing?
What is the best way to use sound therapy to manage tinnitus and decreased sound tolerance?
How can I improve my sleep? My concentration? My ability to relax?
When should I use hearing protection, and what is the best hearing protection for my needs?
What can I do when tinnitus makes it difficult for me to hear?
What other health providers or programs might help? Where can I find them?
Are there any new tinnitus treatments that might work for me?
At the end of your appointment, you will receive a summary of the your management plan and resources.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The Tinnitus Clinic's offers and 8-week, in-person Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) course for tinnitus and anxiety. CBT is an evidence-based psychological treatment that is effective for a wide variety of psychiatric and medical problems. The goal of CBT is to change thoughts and behaviours that perpetuate negative emotions and associated physical sensations.
CBT can reduce the impact of tinnitus on quality of life by improving management of stress and anxiety, and by developing more neutral thinking around tinnitus which makes it easier to “tune out” tinnitus. CBT has been shown to reduce tinnitus distress and is an evidence-based tinnitus intervention.
Patients may be directed to the Tinnitus Clinic's CBT course after participating in an individual Tinnitus Management Counselling appointment, or if referred by the ENT psychiatrist directly after consultation with the team's neurotologists.
We provide telehealth appointments over Zoom for those individuals that don't wish to come to the Tinnitus Clinic in person.
Tinnitus management counselling provided by the Tinnitus Clinic audiologist is not covered by the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP). If you have an extended health plan, services provided by a registered audiologist may be eligible for coverage. Please check your plan's coverage details. We are not able to bill extended health plans directly.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy 8-week course
There is no fee for the cognitive behavioural therapy course. Unfortunately, this course is not available to all patients referred to the Tinnitus Clinic and space in each course is limited.
How do I book an appointment?
Please have your Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor fax the following documents to St. Paul's Hospital:
A referral note that includes your name, date of birth, contact information and medical services card number (PHN)
An ENT consult note regarding hearing, tinnitus and/or decreased sound tolerance
A diagnostic hearing test done within the last 6 months
Once your documents have been received, they will be reviewed by the tinnitus audiologist. The Tinnitus Clinic clerk in Audiology will contact you to set up an appointment and arrange payment. They will also send you questionnaires to complete online.
What do I need to bring to my appointment?
Please bring the following items to your appointment:
Your BC Medical Services card
Any hearing aids or instruments that you use
You are welcome to bring a family member or friend to your appointment.
"Just wanted to thank you for our session and [say] how helpful you were in giving me much needed optimism to deal with my symptoms." - LT