# Finalizing and Testing an Online Therapist Training and Assistance Program to Facilitate Implementation of Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tic Disorders (CBIT-Trainer)

> **NIH NIH R44** · PSYC TECH, LTD · 2021 · $1,202,047

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Tic disorders (TD) are a class of childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders that occur in 1-3% of the
population and often cause significant impairment in physical, social, academic, and interpersonal functioning
and reduce quality of life. There is currently no cure for TD, however large-scale randomized controlled trials
have shown that a non-drug treatment known as Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) can
reduce tics without the adverse side effects associated with pharmacotherapy. Although CBIT is now
recommended as a first-line intervention for TD, most patients cannot get CBIT due to a lack of trained
therapists. Given the need and desire for CBIT among individuals with TD, high demand for therapist trainings,
and the lack of therapists adequately trained in CBIT, there is a clear need for innovative ways to train more
providers in this evidence-based treatment. The current proposal partners two of the primary developers of
CBIT with PsycTech, a company that specializes in developing effective computer-based products for
repetitive behavior disorders. In the proposed project, we will first finalize development of an innovative online
program for training therapists to deliver CBIT (called CBIT-Trainer). Throughout the development process, we
will engage multiple stakeholders in order to identify provider- and organizational-level factors shown to
influence adoption and implementation of adapted interventions in other health-care models and settings. Upon
completion, CBIT-Trainer will be tested against an intensive in-person therapist training program in a
randomized controlled trial. This Phase II project will accomplish five aims: (1) to use a stakeholder-informed
feedback process to complete the development of CBIT-Trainer, (2) to compare CBIT-Trainer to traditional in-
person training on therapists’ ability to administer CBIT, (3) to compare CBIT-Trainer to in-person training on
patient outcomes when they are treated by a CBIT-trained therapist, (4) to identify and address therapist
factors that will improve (or limit) adoption and use of CBIT-Trainer, and (5) to identify therapist factors likely to
influence therapists’ continued use of CBIT in their practice after training. To test these aims, we utilize an
effectiveness-implementation hybrid design to conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing CBIT-Trainer to
the Tourette Association of America’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTI), which is the current gold-
standard for training CBIT therapists. We plan to enroll 234 CBIT-naïve therapist-patient dyads to participate in
the study. Our primary therapist outcomes will be therapist skill in delivering CBIT, which will be assessed at
post-training (Week 0), after administering CBIT with a patient (Week 10), and at 6-month follow-up (Week 34).
Our primary patient outcomes will be overall clinical improvement assessed at pre-treatment (Week 0), post-
treatment (Week 10), and 6-month fol...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10382479
- **Project number:** 2R44MH111450-03A1
- **Recipient organization:** PSYC TECH, LTD
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael B Himle
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,202,047
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2017-08-16 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10382479

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10382479, Finalizing and Testing an Online Therapist Training and Assistance Program to Facilitate Implementation of Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tic Disorders (CBIT-Trainer) (2R44MH111450-03A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10382479. Licensed CC0.

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