Dr Laurence McKenna

Dr McKenna graduated from the University of Liverpool as a clinical psychologist in 1983. He obtained a PhD from the City University on the subject of psychological aspects of tinnitus and hearing loss. He obtained a Post Graduate Diploma (with Distinction) in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at the University of Oxford.

He has worked at the Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital in the field of psychology as applied to audiology for almost four decades. His work has brought about a greater understanding of psychology into the care of audiology patients. He has a particular interest in the treatment of tinnitus and of insomnia. In recent years he has worked to develop the application of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy in the care of patients with distressing tinnitus.

He holds an honorary academic position at University College London. He undertakes peer review and has served as an editor on a number of journals. He has been a member of the faculty of the European Tinnitus Course, an internationally respected instructional course on tinnitus, for twenty five years and acted as course director for ten years. Dr McKenna was a member of the Professional Advisory Committee of the British Tinnitus Association for many years.

He was awarded the British Tinnitus Association Jack Shapiro Prize for best academic paper on tinnitus from a UK Institution, 2010 and again in 2018. In 2011 he was awarded The British Society of Audiology Thomas Simm Littler prize for an outstanding academic contribution to the discipline of audiology.

He also worked within South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust for twenty-seven years (until 2013) in the fields of neuropsychology and adult mental health at Guy’s.

Recent Publications

Cramer, L., Vogt, F., McKenna, L. & Marks, E. (2023) How people with tinnitus-related insomnia experience group CBT-for-insomnia (CBTi): a thematic analysis, International Journal of Audiology, DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2022.2161016

Marks, E., Hallsworth, C., Vogt, F., Klein, H. & McKenna, L. (2022) Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) as a treatment for tinnitus-related insomnia: a randomised controlled trial, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2022.2084155

McKenna, L., Baguley, D. & McFerran, D. (2021) Living with tinnitus and hyperacusis (2nd edition) London: Hodder.

McKenna, L & Marks, E. (2021) The psychological management of tinnitus related insomnia. In R. Tyler (ed) Tinnitus Treatments: Clinical Protocols (2nd edition). Thieme.

Marks, E., Smith, P. & McKenna, L (2020) I wasn’t at war with the noise: How Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy changes patient’s experience of tinnitus. Frontiers in Psychology 11:483.  doi: 0.3389/fpsyg.2020.00483

McKenna, L., Marks. E. & Vogt, F. (2020) Current Validated Medical Treatments for Tinnitus: Cognitive behavioral therapy. Otolaryngol Clin N Am 53 (2020) 605–615 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.otc.2020.03.007

Marks, E., McKenna, L. & Vogt, F. (2020) Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for tinnitus: Evaluation of long-term outcomes.  Clinical Psychology Forum, 334 (October 2020); 45-50.

McKenna, L., Marks, E.M., Vogt, F. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for chronic tinnitus: Evaluation of benefits in a large sample of patients attending a tinnitus clinic. (2017) Ear & Hearing. DOI:10.1097/AUD.0000000000000491

Marks, E., Smith, P. &  McKenna, L .(2019) Living with tinnitus and the healthcare journey: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.  British Journal of Health Psychology. DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12351

Marks, E.M., McKenna, L., & Vogt, F.  (2019) Cognitive behavior therapy for tinnitus related insomnia: evaluating a new treatment approach. International Journal of Audiology. 58 (5) 311-316. DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1547927

McKenna, L., Marks, E., Hallsworth, C. &  Schaette, R., (2017) Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy compared to Relaxation Training for Chronic Tinnitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 86:351–361. DOI: 10.1159/000478267

Brüggemann, P., Szczepek, AJ., Rose, M., McKenna, L., Olze, H. & Mazurek, B. (2016) Impact of Multiple Factors on the Degree of Tinnitus Distress. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 10:341. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00341

Andersson, G., Hesser, H. & McKenna, L. (2016) Psychological mechanisms and tinnitus. In: D. Baguley & M. Fagelson (eds) Tinnitus: Clinical and Research Perspectives. Plural Publishing.

McKenna, L. & Scott, D. Sleep. In: Tyler, R. (Ed) (2015). The Consumer Handbook on Tinnitus. Sedona, Arizona: Auricle Ink Publishers

McKenna L, Handscomb L, Hoare, D. J. & Hall, D. A. (2014) A scientific cognitive-behavioral model of tinnitus: novel conceptualizations of tinnitus distress. Front. Neurol.5:196.doi:10.3389/fneur.2014.00196

Contact Dr Laurence McKenna

  • 020 3075 3150

  • 150 Harley Street,
    Marylebone,
    London W1G 7LQ

  • • Thursday (am)