Tics and Tourette’s Therapy Atlanta

Tics and Tourette’s

Support for children, teens, and adults living with tic disorders and Tourette’s syndrome.

Tics can feel confusing, frustrating, and exhausting — especially when they start affecting school, work, social life, confidence, or daily routines. At Dear Therapy, we help children, teens, and adults better understand tic symptoms and build practical tools to manage them with more confidence and less shame.

We provide evidence-based therapy for tic disorders and Tourette’s in Atlanta, with support that is compassionate, structured, and tailored to real life.

In-person therapy in Atlanta and virtual therapy across Georgia.

What Are Tics?

Tics are sudden, rapid, repetitive movements or sounds that a person may feel driven to do. They are not simply “bad habits,” and they are not something someone can always just stop doing by trying harder.

Tics can include:

  • Blinking

  • Facial movements

  • Shoulder shrugging

  • Head jerking

  • Throat clearing

  • Sniffing

  • Grunting

  • Repeating sounds or words

For many people, tics come and go, change over time, or get worse during stress, excitement, fatigue, or transitions.

What Is Tourette’s Syndrome?

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition that involves both motor tics and vocal tics over time. Symptoms often begin in childhood and may change in intensity across different stages of development.

Some people have mild symptoms. Others experience tics that interfere more significantly with daily functioning, emotional wellbeing, school performance, or social comfort.

Tourette’s is often misunderstood. Many people with Tourette’s also experience anxiety, OCD, ADHD, or sensory sensitivity, which can make the overall picture feel more complex.

Signs It May Be Time to Seek Therapy for Tics or Tourette’s

It may help to seek support if tics are:

  • Causing distress or embarrassment

  • Leading to teasing, avoidance, or social discomfort

  • Interfering with school, work, or concentration

  • Creating tension at home

  • Becoming more intense during stress

  • Happening alongside anxiety, OCD, or emotional dysregulation

  • Making your child feel ashamed, frustrated, or “different”

Even when tics are not severe, therapy can help reduce stress around them and improve daily coping.

Our Approach to Tic and Tourette’s Therapy

At Dear Therapy, we take a supportive, practical, and evidence-based approach. Treatment focuses not just on the tic itself, but on the full picture around it — including stress, anxiety, family responses, school challenges, and self-esteem.

Therapy may include:

  • Psychoeducation about tics and Tourette’s

  • Identifying triggers and patterns

  • Reducing shame and self-criticism

  • Building emotional regulation skills

  • Parent support and coaching

  • School-related strategies

  • Habit Reversal Training (HRT)

  • Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), when appropriate

Our goal is not to make clients feel “fixed.” Our goal is to help them feel more understood, more supported, and more equipped.

What Is CBIT for Tics?

CBIT stands for Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics. It is one of the leading evidence-based treatments for tic disorders and Tourette’s syndrome.

CBIT helps individuals:

  • Notice early signs or urges before a tic happens

  • Understand when tics are more likely to show up

  • Practice response strategies that compete with the tic

  • Reduce stress and environmental factors that can worsen symptoms

CBIT is not about blame or forcing perfect control. It is about building awareness, skill, and flexibility in a way that is realistic and supportive.

Therapy for Kids With Tics and Tourette’s

When a child has tics, families often feel unsure how to respond. Parents may worry about making it worse, drawing too much attention to it, or not knowing when to step in.

We work with children and parents to create a calmer, more informed response. Therapy can help children:

  • Understand what tics are

  • Feel less embarrassed or alone

  • Build coping tools for school and social situations

  • Reduce anxiety around symptoms

  • Strengthen confidence

We also help parents learn how to support their child without increasing pressure, shame, or conflict.

Therapy for Teens With Tourette’s or Tic Disorders

For teens, tics can feel especially hard when peer relationships, self-image, and social acceptance matter so much. Many teens try to hide their symptoms, suppress them all day, or avoid situations that make them feel exposed.

Therapy gives teens a space to talk openly, understand their symptoms, and learn tools for managing stress, self-consciousness, and related anxiety. We work to help teens feel more in control and less defined by their tics.

Tics, Anxiety, and OCD

Tics often overlap with other concerns, especially anxiety and OCD. Sometimes a child or teen is struggling not only with the tic itself, but also with the fear of it happening, the urge to avoid situations, or confusion about whether a behavior is a tic, a compulsion, or both.

At Dear Therapy, this is one of the areas we know especially well. Because we specialize in anxiety and OCD-related concerns, we help clients and families make sense of overlapping symptoms and create a treatment plan that fits the full picture.

What Therapy Can Help With

Therapy for tics and Tourette’s can help with:

  • Managing premonitory urges

  • Reducing distress around tic symptoms

  • Navigating school accommodations

  • Coping with teasing or embarrassment

  • Building self-esteem

  • Improving family understanding

  • Lowering anxiety that worsens tics

  • Supporting related OCD or anxiety symptoms

Tics and Tourette’s Therapy in Atlanta for Children, Teens, and Adults

If you are looking for tic disorder therapy in Atlanta or Tourette’s therapy in Atlanta, Dear Therapy offers specialized support that is warm, structured, and grounded in evidence-based care.

We help clients move away from shame and confusion and toward understanding, confidence, and practical strategies that work in everyday life.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tics and Tourette’s Therapy

Can therapy really help with tics?

Yes. Therapy can help people better understand their tics, reduce distress, identify triggers, and learn evidence-based strategies such as CBIT and Habit Reversal Training.

Do tics mean my child has Tourette’s?

Not necessarily. Some children have temporary tics or chronic motor or vocal tics without meeting criteria for Tourette’s syndrome. A full evaluation can help clarify what is going on.

Are tics caused by anxiety?

Not exactly, but stress and anxiety can make tics more noticeable or more intense. Many people with tic disorders also experience anxiety alongside them.

Should we tell our child to stop ticcing?

Usually, repeated correction or pressure can increase shame and stress. A better approach is understanding the pattern, reducing unnecessary attention to the tic, and using supportive treatment strategies.

Do you work with kids, teens, and adults?

Yes. We support children, adolescents, and adults dealing with tic disorders, Tourette’s syndrome, and related anxiety or OCD symptoms.