CBT-I Clinician Training Manual and Certification

CBT-I Clinical Training Manual, Webinar, and Certification for Clinicians

Insomnia is highly prevalent in adults as a primary or co-morbid disorder. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is now considered the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults due to its superior long-term efficacy, lack of side effects, and patient preference. It is also the most efficacious psychological therapy for a health problem. It improves sleep in 70-80% of patients, is more effective than sleeping pills and reduces or eliminates sleeping pills in the vast majority of patients, and doubles the improvement rates of depression compared to antidepressant medication alone in depressed patients with co-morbid insomnia. It also improves other co-morbidities including pain and fibromyalgia, substance abuse, PTSD, and menopausal hot flashes. As a result, chronic insomnia is now considered an independent disorder that should be treated separately from co-morbid conditions.

Compared to CBT-I, sedative-hypnotics are associated with significant side effects and dangers, including elevated mortality risk, that have resulted in FDA black box warnings about the potentially fatal side effects of Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonata. As a result of the black box warning, more patients and their physicians are choosing CBT-I as a safe and more effective treatment option for chronic insomnia. However, there is a dire shortage of clinicians and sleep clinics with expertise in CBT-I due to a scarcity of training opportunities in this area.

For clinicians (and professionals or paraprofessionals) who wish to develop expertise and a subspecialty in CBT-I, Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and one of the principal developers of CBT-I, offers a CBT-I clinical training manual (PDF format), a two hour archived webinar that accompanies the manual , and CBT-I certification. This is the only CBT-I clinical training manual and webinar currently available that provides an empirically validated CBT-I protocol and CBT-I certification.

The CBT-I Clinical Training Manual and archived webinar enable clinicians to develop competence in CBT-I using an empirically and clinically validated CBT-I protocol for adults that can be implemented immediately with patients or clients. The protocol is based on over 30 years of clinical practice at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center by Dr. Jacobs involving over 10,000 insomnia patients. The manual and webinar are also based on extensive empirical research on CBT-I, including a landmark federally-funded study conducted at Harvard Medical School by Dr. Jacobs demonstrating that the same CBT-I protocol described in the manual and webinar was more effective than Ambien ((Jacobs, GD, et al. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Pharmacotherapy for Insomnia: a Randomized Controlled Trial and Direct Comparison. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004, 164: 1888-96).

Upon passing a 25 question posttest exam (that can be taken as often as necessary), clinicians will receive a frameable certificate documenting they have been certified as a CBT-I clinician, have completed Dr. Jacobs’ CBT-I training manual and webinar, and have demonstrated proficiency in his CBT-I program that was developed and tested at Harvard Medical School. PLEASE NOTE: CE credits are not available for the manual and webinar.

Clinicians will also be listed on this website as a resource for patients seeking CBT-I therapists. Patients consult this website daily for the only centralized listing of certified CBT-I therapists for patients seeking CBT-I treatment nationally and internationally (https://cbtforinsomnia.com/clinicians-recently-trained-by-dr-jacobs/)

The CBT-I Clinician Training Manual and Webinar also includes Dr. Jacobs’ monthly CBT-I patient-clinician QA.

The CBT-I clinical training manual is a self-paced 188 page PDF manual for clinicians and professionals who wish to develop expertise in CBT-I. It contains the theory and rationale for the CBT-I techniques used to treat insomnia; detailed session-by-session treatment manuals for both group and individual treatment; extensive section focus articles, and program materials. The two hour webinar that accompanies the CBT-I manual reviews the most important concepts covered in the manual and a detailed five-week sleep diary case study.

The CBT-I clinical training manual requires about eight hours of time (similar to a day-long CE course) and contains modules on:

Sleep and insomnia: basic concepts
Sleep medications
Assessment of insomnia patients
Theory and rationale for the CBT-I techniques used to treat insomnia including cognitive restructuring, sleep scheduling, stimulus control, relaxation, sleep hygiene, and medication tapering techniques
Step-by-step 5 session treatment manuals for groups and individuals
Fees and billing information for mental health professionals.
Potential clinical issues

The CBT-I manual also includes all program materials including relaxation techniques MP3, sleep diaries, progress summaries, sleep history questionnaire, and sample brochures. It is available for solo clinicians for $195, sleep clinics and group practices for a discounted price of $295 (maximum of two clinicians), and institutions for a discounted price of $395 (maximum of three clinicians). The self-study CBT-I manual, archived webinar, and program materials are delivered electronically at purchase and can be completed at your own pace.

To date, several thousand clinicians have been trained with Dr. Jacobs’ CBT-I clinician training manual and webinar. For a sample of their testimonials, click here.

CBT Training Manual for Insomnia – Solo Clinicians

CBT Training Manual for Insomnia – Sleep Clinics or Group Practices

CBT Training Manual for Insomnia – Institutions