Living with hearing-related issues? Tinnitus, sensitivity to sound, or diminished hearing? Our
audiologist at Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center in Westminster, Dr. Leah Mitchell, is ready
and able to help. We are a patient-centered audiology practice dedicated to fulfilling the needs and
exceeding the expectations of our patients. Our unparalleled experience and understanding of
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) allow us to help thousands of patients control their tinnitus and
experience life-changing results.
Leah Mitchell has been licensed and working in Colorado as an audiologist since 2004. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh (2001), her master’s degree in audiology from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (2003), and her doctoral degree in audiology from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry’s School of Audiology (2007).
Prior to joining the Sound Relief team, she worked at an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) office, a private practice, and at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She enjoys seeing how her patients’ relationships and quality of life can be improved through better hearing and the management of tinnitus.
Dr. Leah has lived in Thornton since 2004, after escaping the winters in her home state of Wisconsin. She enjoys spending as much time as possible in the Colorado outdoors with her husband, Tyler, and two energetic daughters, Evelyn and Etta. When she isn’t outside, she loves snuggling with Suzy, the pawed family member they rescued after losing their 15-year-old chocolate lab, Houser.
Justina, a Colorado native, joined our team as the Patient Care Coordinator of our Westminster office in April 2019 and is now an Audiology Assistant. Justina finds true joy in helping others and is passionate about caring for our patients. She has worked in medical care for over six years and continues to find enjoyment and growth in her job.
In her free time, Justina enjoys many things, including hiking, traveling, being active, and going to the gym, but mostly she enjoys spending time with her French Bulldog, Roskoe. She loves the outdoors and considers there is no lack of adventures for her and her pup in Colorado.
Sara joined our Westminster team as the PCC in March 2022. She was born in California but was raised in Colorado. Her last position was as an office manager for a chiropractic office. She genuinely cares about all patients and strives to make sure everyone is taken care of from start to finish. In her spare time, she enjoys soaking up the Colorado sunshine, fishing, traveling, and rooting for the Broncos, Rockies, and Avs!
How do you treat tinnitus?
Our doctors customize a sound therapy plan specific to each patient.
What is sound therapy?
A process using soothing sounds to rewire the brain.
Tinnitus can disrupt everything - your mood, thoughts, feelings, work, social-life, and overall well-being. We stop the vicious cycle of tinnitus using Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, or TRT. When customized appropriately to an individual’s needs, it is a highly successful approach to treating tinnitus.
More specifically, TRT uses sound therapy and directive counseling over 12 – 24 months to properly deal with the three systems involved: the auditory system (hearing), the limbic system (emotions), and the autonomic nervous system (flight or fight response). Over our many years of helping patients with tinnitus, we have developed and refined our treatment protocols, evaluated countless new technology offerings, and invested in our people and equipment to provide the best outcomes in the industry. We have been able to provide life-changing results for over 80% of our patients, and we can help you too.
This groundbreaking educational counseling platform is built on the foundation of twenty years of helping tinnitus patients.
Designed to enhance our already robust approach to Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), Sound Relief Learning Center drives active learning, a crucial aspect of the treatment process. Combined with the expert guidance of our audiologists, we expect patients to achieve even better outcomes and faster results.
With comprehensive modules, assessments, and additional resources, our patients are uniquely positioned for success. Research shows that a complete understanding of the neurophysiologic model of tinnitus is necessary to regain control and break negative emotional associations with tinnitus. Sound Relief Learning Center provides the education and tools under one “roof” to facilitate the most effective implementation of TRT to achieve patient goals.
There are a multitude of different Digital Hearing Aids available at Sound Relief. Features include:
- Dual microphones to improve your ability to hear in noisy environments. The two microphones create separate signals that combine to help you distinguish the direction of the sound waves. Some devices can even identify the source of a noise and reduce it.
- Open technology eliminates occlusion by keeping the ear canal unobstructed and produces a more natural sound experience.
- Feedback cancellation cancels out any acoustic feedback before you hear it as an irritating whistle. Digital hearing aids can monitor these signals and remove them before amplification occurs.
- Hands-free technology allows your hearing aid to automatically adjust to your listening environment. So if something is affecting your ability to hear, the digital device will identify it and acclimate to the situation.
- Computer programming allows personalization of your hearing device. Using a computer, you can adjust your device’s settings to ensure they meet your needs.
- Wireless technology allows your hearing aids to act similar to headphones. You can connect and listen to devices like your cell phone, home phone, and television directly through your digital hearing aids.
Sound Relief is a Premier Provider for the Lyric by Phonak based on our high level of care. Lyric is the first-ever 100% invisible hearing device with extended wearing capability. This technology can sit in the ear canal and be used 24/7 for up to 4 months. There is no need to change the device or maintenance required. The Lyric can be used during daily activities such as work, exercise, bathing, chatting on the phone and sleeping.
Sound Therapy for Hyperacusis
Although a cure to quickly eliminate hyperacusis does not currently exist, therapies can improve the sufferer’s quality of life by reducing their fear and anxieties, helping them cope with uncomfortable sounds, and even reducing their sensitivity to sounds. For example, sound therapy can retrain the brain’s auditory processing center to accept everyday sounds as normal again. The individual wears a sound generator that produces soft, soothing sounds that can be controlled by the patient. Over the course of about 6 to 12 months, regular use of the device and directive counseling on appropriate levels of sound and responses to them can rebuild the individual’s tolerance to sounds. Sound therapy requires directive counseling by a qualified audiologist in order for it to be effective.
Sound Therapy for Misophonia
Misophonia is best treated with a multidisciplinary approach (i.e., primary care physician, psychology, audiology). As Audiologists, we specialize in helping to rewire the auditory portion of the brain while calming the nervous system using prescriptive sound therapy. Over time, the ultimate goal of sound therapy is to help neutralize the trigger sounds so that the reflex response to them no longer occurs. Most patients without underlying damage to their auditory system can totally stop the misophonic reactions to their trigger sounds post-treatment. Careful guidance is needed by an experienced professional to help in this process.
Our team has over 50 years of experience working with all hearing aid styles and all of the hearing aid manufacturers – past and present. You will not be able to surprise us with anything – new or old.
We do require that you visit one of our eight locations (located in Colorado and Arizona) with your hearing aid so that we can see how it fits in your ear. While there may be a few cases where a hearing aid is beyond repair, most of the time can fix it quickly and at no charge.
We can fix hearing aids made by most manufacturers including Oticon, Phonak, ReSound, Widex, Starkey, and many more. If you bought Costco hearing aids or ordered hearing aids online, they may not be worth the cost of the repair. Wherever you purchased your devices, we can give you an honest opinion of whether an out-of-warranty repair is a wise investment or not.
If you are struggling with tinnitus - ringing in the ears, these resources are designed to help you find relief.
Dr. Julie Prutsman of Sound Relief details six self-help techniques to help manage your tinnitus.
For more tinnitus resources, please visit our Tinnitus Resources playlist on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKFvKGU_m7-NbSa_tTDqv852Vxh3O_vm-
If you are struggling with tinnitus - ringing in the ears, these resources are designed to help you find relief.
In this video, Dr. Julie Prutsman walks you through Guided Imagery for Tinnitus.
f you are struggling with tinnitus - ringing in the ears, these resources are designed to help you find relief.
Dr. Julie Prutsman demonstrates Progressive Muscle Relaxation for tinnitus.
These videos guide you on how to clean hearing aids by different manufacturers.
These videos also show how to Bluetooth pair hearing aids to an Apple iPhone.
There is also a video on Lyric self-insertion.