TABLE 2.

Summary of Audiologist Counseling Curriculum

Components	Strategies and Class Activities
Session 1 Introduction	Patients received an introduction to group members and clinician Patients engaged in a discussion of rules for group sessions, such as confidentiality and an overview of education groups Patients learned the definition of tinnitus, when to seek medical attention, and whether there is a cure
Session 2 Mechanisms of Tinnitus and Hearing	Patients received information about the causes of tinnitus Patients received instruction on the mechanism of hearing and tinnitus-associated anatomy, and the measurement of tinnitus Patients received a brief introduction of the effects of tinnitus on health and emotions
Session 3 Treatment of Tinnitus	Patients learned and discussed the “medical model” of tinnitus Patients learned about drug interventions, surgical treatment, electrical stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation for tinnitus Patients learned about use of tinnitus maskers and noise suppression and facts about cognitive behavioral therapy
Session 4 Tinnitus Research/Role of Nervous System	Patients learned and discussed the American Tinnitus Association resources and their role in tinnitus research Patients learned about the role of diet and tinnitus Patients learned about devices on the market that target habituation and desensitization Patients received an introduction to the limbic and autonomic nervous systems and the neurophysiologic model of tinnitus
Session 5 Tinnitus Therapies	Patients reviewed the neurophysiologic model of tinnitus Patients learned and discussed the therapeutic approaches to tinnitus
Session 6 Psychology and Tinnitus	Patients learned the psychological effects of tinnitus Patients learned more about CBT and its goals Patients received information about the history of tinnitus and treatments through the ages Patients discussed tinnitus from the view of the patient