Essentials of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia

This is a 6-hour on-demand webinar led by Colleen Carney, PhD, that was originally broadcast live on March 23-34, 2021.

Access information, resources, and continuing education credits information will be sent to you shortly after registration. All registrants receive unlimited access to the recording for 365 days.

Research increasingly shows that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) has a profound effect on chronic insomnia, works better than drugs, and improves treatment outcomes for comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, pain, and trauma.

This 6-hour course “beyond the basics” CBT-I workshop is designed for those who want to customize and adapt Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for clients who have multiple diagnoses.

We will focus on reviewing the basics of assessment and delivery of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) with a more nuanced understanding of the perpetuating factors for chronic insomnia.

We will also focus on a case formulation approach that can be applied across disciplines and clinic settings. This will enable you to sharpen your understanding of sleep regulation and will complement what you may already be doing for the treatment of a co-occurring conditions. This approach also provides relevant strategies to handle the types of complex cases you are most likely to encounter in clinical practice.

For example, challenging beliefs that vigilance is necessary in trauma-focused therapy can be complemented by strategies that address bed avoidance in PTSD. Or, increasing activity in chronic pain treatment protocols can be complemented by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) advice about stimulus control (how to rest in a way that is not sleep interfering). A client-centered, case formulation approach provides the flexibility and efficiency of delivery without compromising on empirical support.

In addition to learning how to use case formulation to guide treatment decisions, attendees will learn how to develop suitable schedules for night owls with day jobs, how to work effectively with those with chronic hypnotic medication use, and how to work safely and effectively with those with co-occurring sleep apnea.

  • Conduct a sleep assessment in a non-sleep specialty setting 
  • Assess and modify behaviours that interfere with the build-up of deep sleep drive
  • Teach clients to calculate their optimal time-in-bed prescription and determine their optimal “sleep window” 
  • Collaborate with clients on time-in-bed schedules
  • Suggest behaviours that enhance circadian regulation
  • Suggest techniques for managing cognitive arousal 
  • Implement fatigue management strategies 
  • Avoid arguing by co-designing behavioural experiments that challenge sleep beliefs
  • Construct a case formulation during assessment, using eight key questions 
  • Describe how CBT-I complements other CBT protocols for pain, depression and anxiety
  • Adapt treatment to those with multiple comorbidities and medications
  • Encourage clients to construct an effective relapse prevention plan
Colleen Carney

Dr. Colleen E. Carney, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, where they are the Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory.

With over 100 publications and hundreds of workshops, Dr. Carney is one of Canada’s leading experts in psychological treatments for insomnia, particularly in the context of co-occurring mental health issues.

Colleen Carney is a passionate advocate for improving the availability of treatment for those with insomnia and other health problems.

Financial Disclosures: Colleen Carney receives royalties from book sales at Guilford, New Harbinger, Routledge and Oxford, and a speaking honorarium from Leading Edge Seminars Inc. Dr. Carney receives licensing fees for the Consensus sleep Diary tool from industry-funded projects.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

TimeTopic Covered
1st hour
  • Assessment and the basics of sleep
2nd hour
  • Stimulus control and sleep scheduling
15 Minute Break
3rd hour
  • Counterarousal and cognitive therapy

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

TimeTopic Covered
1st hour
  • Case formulation
2nd hour
  • Using the formulation to determine treatment strategies
15 Minute Break
3rd hour
  • Trouble shooting treatment issues 

This training offers 6 hours of direct contact (not counting breaks or lunch). It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards/regulatory body to verify CE requirements for their license to practice.

For Attendees of On Demand/Recorded Version

If you are watching the On Demand/recorded version of this webinar, you will need to complete a Post-Webinar Quiz with a pass of at least 80% in order to verify your attendance.

For US Participants

  • Instructions on how to obtain your Certificate of Attendance showing the hours completed will be distributed either following the Live Broadcast or with On-Demand registration (On-Demand participants must pass a post-webinar attendance quiz).  A CE package will be available which includes the full webinar description and details, the speaker’s CV and references.

For Canadian and International participants

Upon fulfillment of the above requirements, Canadian and international participants will be issued a Certificate of Participation which features:

  • Name of Participant
  • Title of Training
  • Name of Presenter plus their credentials
  • Number of hours of training
  • Date of training
  • Confirmation that you have passed a quiz with at least 80% grade to verify your attendance

Please check carefully with your regulating body/organization that this certificate is sufficient proof for you to claim CEUs.

For general information about Continuing Education for Canadians and International participants, please click here.  

$239.00Add to cart

Who Should Attend

  • Therapists, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, and other healthcare professionals working with adults with insomnia in non-sleep specialty settings.
  • Professionals wishing to learn how to treat insomnia when their clients have comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, trauma, or chronic pain.