Course Directors
Dr Hashir Aazh, United Kingdom
Professor Bart Vinck, Belgium
Welcome to CBT-Hear International
CBT-Hear International is an advanced clinical training and professional development programme designed to improve access to evidence-based care for tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia. The programme supports audiologists, psychologists, counsellors, and other qualified healthcare professionals in integrating cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with audiological expertise, hearing science, and patient-centred care.
Many clinicians receive limited structured training in the psycho-audiological and rehabilitative aspects of tinnitus and sound intolerance despite the significant impact these conditions can have on quality of life. CBT-Hear International was developed to help address this gap through a fellowship-oriented postgraduate pathway combining structured teaching, workshops, supervision, reflective practice, case discussion, and clinical mentorship, leading to registration on a public professional register.
The programme recognises that sound-related distress often involves auditory, emotional, cognitive, somatic, medical, and social factors. Effective care therefore requires interdisciplinary understanding, evidence-informed practice, and clear professional boundaries.
Delivered through small international cohorts, CBT-Hear International combines over 200 hours of structured and self-directed learning with longitudinal supervision and fellowship-oriented development. The programme brings together clinical practice, research, and international collaboration to support more accessible, compassionate, and evidence-based care worldwide.
Dr Hashir Aazh, PhD
Course Director
CBT-Hear Pathway & International Cohorts
CBT-Hear International offers a structured clinical training and professional development pathway for clinicians seeking advanced competency in tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia care. The core programme is delivered online through the CBT-Hear Certified Practitioner pathway (Stage 2) and the CBT-Hear Certified Advanced Clinician pathway (Stage 3), combining structured learning, supervision, reflective practice, case discussion, and mentorship within a competency-based professional framework.
The Certified Practitioner pathway (Stage 2) is open to qualified healthcare professionals and does not require prior completion of Stage 1. Progression to Advanced Clinician level (Stage 3), however, requires prior completion of the Certified Practitioner stage. Clinicians may later advance towards CBT-Hear Certified Supervisor status or Fellowship recognition for advanced contribution to clinical practice, supervision, research, education, or service development.
Alongside the online pathways, CBT-Hear International also offers the CBT-Hear Certified 3-day in-person masterclass (Stage 1) in Belgium, delivered in collaboration with Professor Bart Vinck from Ghent University, bringing together expertise in audiology, hearing rehabilitation, and interdisciplinary clinical education.
In addition, hybrid international cohorts combining Stage 1 and Stage 2 training are now being introduced across selected locations including Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, Canada, China, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and London. These pathways combine a 2-day face-to-face clinical masterclass with 12 months of online structured learning, supervision, and mentorship delivered through Hashir International Institute, with additional institutional collaborations currently under development.
All practitioner and advanced-level clinicians participate within a structured professional framework that includes defined scopes of practice, longitudinal clinical supervision, ethical standards, and registration within the CBT-Hear professional register.
Certification Pathway
Provides specialist assessment, education, and support for tinnitus and sound intolerance within multidisciplinary care.
Delivers full CBT-Hear interventions for tinnitus, hyperacusis, and misophonia without significant psychological comorbidity.
Distinguishes primary sound-related distress from psychological comorbidity; applies CBT-Hear to the former, coordinates care for the latter.
Provides structured clinical supervision to CBT-Hear clinicians, supporting reflective practice, case management, and ethical standards.
Recognised for advanced clinical experience and meaningful contributions to service delivery, innovation, or complex casework.
Awarded for excellence in supervision, training, research, or curriculum development within the CBT-Hear framework.
Granted to researchers, advocates, or public contributors for exceptional impact on the field of sound disorders.
Organiser
CBT-Hear Partners
News
Aristotle, Tinnitus, and the Long Road from Coping to Cure
Defining tinnitus: a socratic and epistemological inquiry
