I recently had the privilege of attending a workshop in Louisiana, USA with a group of professionals passionate about helping young people struggling to manage with Tourette Disorder. The workshop was facilitated by Professor Douglas Woods, a psychologist who has been instrumental in developing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Tics (CBIT).

Tourette Disorder is a neurological condition that is widely misunderstood and it can be very debilitating, socially isolating and at times, painful. With the help of Professor Woods, a number of research studies have been published in world-leading medical journals, demonstrating that CBIT is effective in reducing Tic severity for most people with Tourette Disorder. Although the principal of CBIT are relatively simple, the implementation of the intervention is quite challenging. Since becoming a trained CBIT clinical, I have been very excitement to observe many young people finally reduce or even eliminate highly distressing and debilitating tics.

A short video on CBIT can be found here, or watch a child and professionals talk about their experiences with CBIT here.

If you would like to discuss Tourette Disorder or CBIT please do not hesitate to contact our clinic on (03) 9481 1944

Ivan Mathieson

Clinical Psychologist.