Tackle your tics
Tackle your Tics is a brief, intensive group-based treatment for 9-17-year-old children with troublesome tics who would like to get treatment for their tics.
Background
Going to therapy every week, and practice alone at home: behavioral therapy can be a challenge. What if you can receive the same amount of therapy in a few days, together with other youth? Would that be more practical and efficient? A team of experts investigate this.
The research study
Small groups of children with tics followed a therapy program lasting four days. The program will consist of behavioral therapy (exposure and response prevention), practice using a training app, activities to learn to positively cope with tics and possible comorbid symptoms, and relaxing activities. In addition, there was the opportunity to meet other youth with tics, and parent meetings. This study aims to study the effectiveness of this brief and intensive program on tic severity and quality of life.
The researchers
From Accare, Dr. Pieter Hoekstra is involved as principal investigator at Tackle your Tics. The principal investigator from Yulius is Rudi Bruggemans. The research is coordinated from AmsterdamUMC / UvA and Levvel by Prof. Dr. Lisbeth Utens and Dr. Chaim Huyser. The executive researcher is Annet Heijerman, who works at Amsterdam UMC / UvA, Stichting Gilles de la Tourette and Levvel
Participation
This research is carried out in collaboration with AmsterdamUMC / UvA, Levvel, Yulius, Gilles de la Tourette Foundation, TicXperts and the Knowledge Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.