CBIT – Habit Reversal Therapy

Dr. Hartke is a certified provider of CBIT for individuals with motor tics, vocal tics, and Tourette Syndrome 

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT)

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) is a structured evidenced-based non-medical intervention for tics based on cognitive behavioral therapy. CBIT is for children, adolescents and adults. CBIT works on one tic at a time to help individuals learn tic management strategies through three main components:

  1. Increasing awareness of the tic and the urge to tic (awareness training)
  2. Using a competing behavioral response when the urge to tic is felt (competing response)
  3. Making adjustments to daily activities that help to reduce the tics

The goals or CBIT are:

  1. Reduce the symptoms of the tic and tic urge
  2. Develop tic management strategies
  3. Boost social confidence and self-efficacy

CBIT is a combination of “Habit Reversal Training” (HRT) and functional behavioral assessment/intervention (FBA/I). HRT involves awareness training and developing a competing response. Functional assessment/intervention involves first identifying situations that precede/trigger tics, and responses to the tics after they occur that can make them worse. Second, it involves using this information to develop strategies for modifying the environment to reduce tics.

More information on CBIT

Tourette Association of America pamphlet on CBIT

Scientific American article