SHIP offers a clinical fellowship in behavioral sleep medicine. This one-year fellowship is housed in the Department of Psychiatry on the main Stanford University campus and is a part of the APA accredited Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The fellowship is accredited by the Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine and enables trainees to fulfill eligibility requirements for the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Certification exam to become a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (DBSM).

Clinical fellows receive comprehensive professional training through supervised patient care and didactics. Clinical fellows are provided opportunities to participate in research, train graduate students, submit and present abstracts at scientific conferences, write manuscripts, and deliver presentations about sleep topics. A strength of the SHIP clinical fellowship program its individualized training, designed to meet the specific goals of each of our fellows.  While there are broad program requirements regarding clinical caseload, supervision, and didactic trainings; fellows are encouraged to identify training areas that will allow them to pursue professional goals.  In the past, some fellows have chosen to engage in a minor rotation in pediatric behavioral sleep medicine or to develop expertise in a specific BSM domain (e.g., nightmare disorder or women’s health).  Beyond provision of high quality clinical care, fellows who have interested in research are offered opportunities to collaborate and co-author manuscripts and chapters during their training.   

Patient care

Supervised by clinical psychologists certified in behavioral sleep medicine (DBSM/CBSM), fellows learn behavioral sleep medicine as it applies to a clinically heterogeneous case load. The majority of patients are adults with insomnia disorder, often comorbid with other psychiatric, medical, and/or sleep disorders. The program also provides training in behavioral sleep medicine approaches to other sleep disorders, including circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, nightmare disorder, other parasomnias and CPAP adherence. Our service also provides treatment to many children and adolescents; fellows interested in exposure to pediatric behavioral sleep medicine should state this in their application. There are also opportunities for interested fellows to maintain a small caseload of adult general psychotherapy patients.  We provide individual treatment to all patients, using a flexible case-conceptualization approach to treatment.  While treatment is short-term, there is no session limit or prescribed session-by-session approach, which allows even patients with complex presentations to meet their treatment goals.

Didactics

Didactics opportunities cover a range of sleep medicine topics (including those offered off-site at the Stanford Center for Sleep Science and Medicine), as well as those provided to the broader APA accredited Clinical Psychology Fellowship Program. The latter include ethics and professional development seminars that cover topics relevant to clinical fellows (e.g., paths to licensure, academic job searches), as well as a diversity and inclusion seminar. Fellows can also attend lectures offered in the rich academic environment of the Stanford University campus both within and outside the department.

Fellows additionally participate in a weekly BSM reading group that includes chapters from Principles and Practices of Sleep Medicine as well as empirical articles.  Fellows have the opportunity to select and lead several meetings over the course of the seminar year.

Research and scholarly opportunities

Clinical fellows are encouraged to participate in research related activities in addition to their clinical training. Historically, most fellows have taken advantage of these opportunities and have taken a lead on conference abstracts and presentations at professional meetings and participated in preparation of manuscripts. Current and recently completed projects that clinical fellows have the opportunity to engage with include RCTs of CBT for insomnia comorbid sleep apnea, RCTs of CBT for insomnia comorbid depression and RCTs of CBT for perinatal insomnia, as well as RCTs utilizing stepped care approaches for disseminating treatment.

Lab meetings

Clinical postdoctoral fellows attend biweekly lab meeting where lab members take turns presenting on sleep related topics, recent published articles, or projects they are involved in. This collaborative meeting is an opportunity to contribute to each other’s research projects, write joint papers, and design new studies. Guest speakers from outside laboratories or clinics are also frequent presenters. 

Professional development

Beyond the opportunities described above, fellows may have the opportunity to mentor graduate or undergraduate students and deliver behavioral sleep medicine presentations in other departments as well as in the community at large.  Fellows who are interested in teaching and/or community engagement will be supported in their development of presentations and identifying teaching opportunities. 

Additionally, fellows will participate in a bi-monthly BSM focused professional development seminar led by Dr. Britney Blair, PsyD, CSBM, DBSM.  Dr. Blair is a former fellow and current adjunct faculty member who is also engaged in private practice and a number of other BSM related initiatives outside of academia.  Seminar topics include: professional identity, private practice, networking, and other topics of interest identified by fellows each year.

Training Faculty

SHIP Clinical Fellowship Director:
Norah Simpson, PhD, CBSM, DBSM
Associate Director, Stanford Sleep Health & Insomnia Program
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

SHIP Clinical Fellowship Associate Director:
Rachel Manber, PhD, CBSM, DBSM
Director, Stanford Sleep Health & Insomnia Program
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Other training faculty:
Natalie Solomon, PsyD, DBSM, Clinical Assistant Professor
Donn Posner, PhD, CBSM, DBSM, Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor
Britney Blair, PsyD, CBSM, DBSM, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor

Additional Stanford University Resources

The SHIP clinic is located on the main university campus allowing fellow easy access to the full range of academic and recreational activities offered by the university.  Proximity also allows ease of interaction with the larger group of psychology fellows in the department and at the university at large.

Fellows have access to a wide range of other academic and learning experiences across the university, including full library access.  Additionally, fellows have access to Stanford recreational and cultural activities. 

Another resource for fellows is SURPAS, formerly known as SUPD.  SURPAS is the umbrella organization of all postdoctoral scholars at Stanford. SURPAS' mission is to work with university administration in enriching the lives and the career development of postdocs. SURPAS has an extensive website with resources for prospective and current postdocs and international scholars. SURPAS organizes social and academic events.

We also encourage fellows to explore the following diversity focused groups:

Postdoc Diversity Advisory Committee

The Stanford Black Postdoc Association (SBPA)

The LGBTQ+ Postdoc Group at Stanford

Stanford Latinx Postdoc Association (SLPA)

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