SHIP CBT-I Training for Licensed Providers

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the first line nonpharmacological treatment for insomnia. The Stanford Sleep Health and Insomnia Program (SHIP) offers comprehensive CBT-I training for licensed practitioners and agencies.

Our comprehensive training program is based on previous research demonstrating that participation in a training workshop alone is insufficient to provide evidence-based treatments effectively, and that additional competency training enhances effectiveness. Our program offers competency training alone and in combination with a didactic training workshop.

Join Us!

Our next virtual training will be offered in the Spring of 2025. The workshop will be held May 8, 9, and 10 from 8 am – 4 pm PT, with a lunch break. Competency groups will start the week of May 19. Please reach out if you are interested in joining this upcoming training cohort.

SHIP Competency Training

Includes:

Weekly consultation in small groups to discuss ongoing CBT-I cases, meeting for 50 minutes a week for 6 months via video conferencing
Review of taped sessions with expert feedback provided by SHIP faculty, until clinician meets minimum competence standards
Certificate of Completion from the Stanford Sleep Health & Insomnia Program is provided once trainees meet competence standards

Eligibility Requirements:

Prior completion of CBT-I didactic workshop
Provider has identified at least two patients interested in being CBT-I training cases (can be current patients or new referrals)
Active license and malpractice insurance
Ability to record therapy session (if participating in tape based learning)

SHIP Comprehensive CBT-I Training

Includes:

SHIP comprehensive CBT-I training includes participation in a foundational CBT-I workshop, followed by a competency training period.
Our foundational CBT-I workshop is a three-day training that covers the common core CBT-I techniques, adaptation to special populations/circumstances (e.g., common comorbidities), as well as use of a case conceptualization framework for treatment. Foundational workshops include both didactic learning and experiential practice of clinical skills and techniques.
The competency training component follows the same model as described above in the SHIP competency training section.

Eligibility Requirements:

Active license and malpractice insurance
Ability to record therapy session
Providers have identified at least two patients interested in being CBT-I training cases (can either be current patients or new referrals)
Currently we are offering comprehensive CBT-I training to agencies or individual providers in cohorts.

Why train with SHIP?

Providers in the Stanford Sleep Health and Insomnia Program (SHIP) have been treating patients and training providers in behavioral sleep medicine treatments since 2000. SHIP program director, Dr. Rachel Manber, led the development and implementation of the national rollout of CBT-I at the VA, which utilized a similar competency training model. SHIP has provided training for postdoctoral fellows for over 15 years through APA and SBSM accredited fellowship training programs in behavioral sleep medicine.

Meet the Training Team

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (General Psychiatry and Psychology-Adult)

Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Read what people say about their training experiences with us!

Excellent training for sleep providers wishing to broaden their skill set in helping insomnia patients with this increasingly common medical issue.

- Lawrence Bedsole, MD, Home Sleep Physicians

This was the most comprehensive and valuable training program for me and my patients -- in my twenty years of taking continuing education classes. Insomnia has played such a huge and unwelcome role in so many of my older patients' lives. CBT-I has not only helped them address their poor sleep at night, but it has also given them back a sense of agency and optimism about being able to plan morning daytime activities without fear of feeling exhausted.

- Wendy Schmelzer, LCSW, Private Practice

Wonderful course that de-mystified CBT-I and has changed my approach to all sleep patients. I now have another very effective tool to help optimize sleep in my patients.

- Dr. Casey Melton, MD, Private Practice

This course significantly advanced my knowledge about sleep and skill in administering CBT-I. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and helpful in thinking through cases and addressing individualized issues for optimal effectiveness of the treatment. The didactic was interactive and packed with useful information. The six-month case consultation was essential to increasing my confidence and competence in this area. I highly recommend this course, and I have recommended the course to several clinicians already.

- Sharleen O'Brien, PsyD,
Associate Dean of Wellness & Director of Health & Wellness, UC Santa Barbara

Kudos to the Stanford SHIP Program team for the meticulous training. It is a much needed program and I highly recommend it.

- Dr Nalini Nagalla, MD, FSM Pulmonologist & Sleep Specialist Continental Hospitals Head,
Continental Sleep Disorders Centre, Hyderabad, India

I attended the outstanding Insomnia Program CBT-I Competency Training at Stanford University. When I began, my practical knowledge of sleep issues was limited, but the lectures and six months of follow-up consultation prepared me to become a confident and competent sleep behavioral therapist. The program distilled years of clinical practice into valuable insights, and the feedback process was exceptional—no question went unanswered. I highly recommend this training.

- Gunnur Karakurt, Ph.D., IMFT

This training has been an invaluable part of my development as a therapist in private practice. The real-time feedback provided through the taped sessions allowed me to refine skills I might have otherwise overlooked. I am incredibly grateful for the knowledge and guidance this program offers and highly recommend it to anyone looking to deepen their expertise in insomnia treatment.

- Nicole Woolf. LCSW at Wolf Den Therapy

I was looking for a comprehensive understanding on how to help those experiencing insomnia, and I found the UNICORN. This program was everything and more, I now feel highly informed, confident and prepared.

- Jessica Talamantez, LPC in Texas, Private Practice

I like this wonderful course. It helped me build up confidence with various insomnia conditions.

- Stephen Guo, Certified Clinical Counselor in Haikou People's Hospital, Haikou, China

Sleep Health and Insomnia Program (SHIP) at Stanford

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SHIP CBT-I Training for Licensed Providers

Join Us!

SHIP Competency Training

Includes:

Eligibility Requirements:

SHIP Comprehensive CBT-I Training

Includes:

Eligibility Requirements:

Why train with SHIP?

Meet the Training Team

Read what people say about their training experiences with us!

Excellent training for sleep providers wishing to broaden their skill set in helping insomnia patients with this increasingly common medical issue.

Wonderful course that de-mystified CBT-I and has changed my approach to all sleep patients. I now have another very effective tool to help optimize sleep in my patients.

Kudos to the Stanford SHIP Program team for the meticulous training. It is a much needed program and I highly recommend it.

I was looking for a comprehensive understanding on how to help those experiencing insomnia, and I found the UNICORN. This program was everything and more, I now feel highly informed, confident and prepared.

I like this wonderful course. It helped me build up confidence with various insomnia conditions.