Support Network

Find a Support Network Contact
ATA Calendar (meeting time, location and details)
Volunteer to Start a Support Group
Becoming A Help Network Volunteer

Find a Support Network Contact Near You

The American Tinnitus Association's Support Network consists of dedicated support group facilitators and help network volunteers across the country. These volunteers provide compassion, support, experience, and perspective, as well as valuable resources for treating your tinnitus.

While support groups are not yet available in all states, you are welcome to contact help network volunteers regardless of location. As lines of communication are opened, savvy and meaningful support is closer than ever before, no matter where you live! 

To find a support resource near you, please click on the map below OR click on the listings here: 

View ATA's Support Network in a larger map

If you are interested in starting a support group or becoming a help network volunteer, please contact Katie Fuller, Director of Support, at katie@ata.org.

Volunteer to Start a Support Group

If you are interested in starting a tinnitus support group, the following PDF can be downloaded for free by clicking the image below and contains helpful information on how to start, organize, recruit and run a successful tinnitus support group. It also gives advice on meeting topics and helpful ways to keep people coming back to your group time and time again!

Becoming a Help Network Volunteer

The American Tinnitus Association Support Network has two facets: formal support groups and individual help network volunteers. Help network volunteers communicate one-on-one with people in need of support on an as-needed basis. ATA maintains a list of help network volunteers, sharing names and contact information with callers who are distressed about their tinnitus and needing to reach out to someone else with the condition.

Help network volunteers are all about providing support. It's a powerful experience for people to feel like someone understands what they're going through. Help network volunteers aren't physicians or audiologists—they're regular people who understand what it means to have tinnitus.

If you are interested in becoming a help network volunteer, consider the following and contact ATA for more information or an application.

Decide which methods of communication you want to answer
Help network volunteers communicate via telephone, letters, or email—or a combination of the three. Decide which method is most convenient to you, and let ATA staff know your preference.

Determine which times are best for you
Many help network volunteers put instructions for the best time to call on their answering machines. That way, callers know when to call back and the volunteers don't face expensive long distance charges. Please do not feel obligated to answer calls during times inconvenient to you.

Find out the names of local health care providers
Contact ATA for a listing of health care providers in your area, and keep notes on your experiences with local audiologists, ENTs, and other professionals. Understand that other people may have different medical needs than you, but that your experiences with health care providers can be very insightful.

Have tinnitus resources handy
Keep a binder of Tinnitus Today issues by the phone or computer for easy reference. Callers may have questions on specific treatments, like tinnitus retraining therapy or masking, or on new research studies funded by ATA. Tinnitus Today can help answer these questions. You may also want to have a listing of alternative medicine practitioners, nutritionists, local hearing instrument and masking supply companies, and a local suicide hotline. While suicidal callers are rare, it is best to be prepared.

Specialize in a specific tinnitus-related topic
There are so many topics related to tinnitus, and not everyone can be an expert in all of them. Pick out a few that are very important to you, and learn everything you can about them.

Remember that good advice and coping strategies can't substitute for a medical and audiological evaluation.

While the information and advice you provide can be very helpful, please encourage all contacts to seek out medical assistance. Often, tinnitus is a symptom of a physiological cause that should and can be treated. All patients should have a medical and audiological evaluation, both of which can help determine the types and course of treatment and reduce stress.

Help out with local support groups
Attend your local support group meetings to hear the latest on research, treatment options, and coping strategies and to meet and learn from others with tinnitus. This will help hone your "bedside manner" for help network contacts as well as expand your knowledge of tinnitus-related topics.
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For more information please contact: Katie Fuller, Director of Support, at katie@ata.org.