Sleep Health and Your Clients: Screen, Assess, and Intervene

Course overview

Sleep disturbances are among the most prevalent and undertreated concerns in behavioral health practice. Research suggests that 40-46% of psychiatric outpatients struggle with significant sleep problems, yet most mental health professionals receive little or no training in sleep assessment or intervention. This one-hour workshop gives behavioral health and allied professionals a practical, evidence-based framework for identifying and addressing sleep problems within their existing scope of practice - no specialized sleep medicine training required. Participants will learn to apply the RU SATED sleep health framework across six dimensions, use the Sleep Disturbance Symptom Checklist (SDS-CL-25) as a brief screening tool, introduce the sleep diary as a clinical monitoring instrument, and offer clients two evidence-based behavioral sleep strategies - consistent wake time and light stimulus control - that are appropriate for non-specialist practitioners. The workshop also provides clear guidance on when and how to refer to a sleep specialist. Content is grounded in American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) clinical guidelines and current research on the bidirectional relationship between sleep and common mental health presentations including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders.