A Meta-Analysis of Group CBT for Insomnia

Course overview

Course Description: This course reviews the effectiveness of group CBT as compared to individual CBT for the treatment of insomnia. It contains research and statistical information but helps the practitioner by providing scientific evidence on which to base practice. The course is based upon material published the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews which is available as an open access article on the Department of Health and Human Services website. This article discusses insomnia, the most common sleep disorder that affects a large portion of the general population. The authors illustrate that cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the best option for psychological treatment of the disorder, however, those who suffer from insomnia frequently find that individual treatment for their condition is unavailable. Due to this insufficient accessibility to individual treatment, group CBT-I is an option that is enticing because of its ability to improve the efficiency of delivery, but the group CBT-I treatment does not have a proven efficacy. Randomized controlled trials were conducted in which individual CBT-I treatment was compared to group CBT-I treatment. The results showed that the group CBT-I treatment is in fact an efficacious method of treatment. This course on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their understanding of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. The course material includes a literature review of CBT-I and its effects. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A major benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Koffel, Koffel, and Gehrman Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Specifically, a professional will: Describe the effects of group CBT treatment for insomnia Identify which symptoms may be improved with group CBT for insomnia Identify how long the improvements in symptoms have been proven to remain. Citation: Koffel, E.A., Koffel, J.B., & Gehrman, P.R. (2015). A meta-analysis of group cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Sleep Medicine Reviews, (19) 6-16.