Training to meet the new Quality Standard for Insomnia in Ontario

The new Quality Standard in Ontario this year is to:

• provide an insomnia assessment.
• offer CBT-I to all patients with chronic insomnia, irrespective of co-occurring conditions.

Effective medications should only be used in chronic insomnia in the lowest possible dose, for the shortest amount of time, and only after a discussion of the risks associated with medication.

Is your service/practice ready to meet the Standard?

Many (60%) providers in Canada report feeling “prepared” to effectively treat insomnia disorder (Zhou et al., 2021). Canadian research suggests that providers mistakenly believe that sleep hygiene is another word for sleep habits or sleep hygiene actually is CBT-I, despite guidelines advocating against the use of sleep hygiene. Two thirds of Canadian clinical psychologists and most (98%) Primary Care Providers (PCP) report using sleep hygiene to treat insomnia (Lessard et al., 2024; Zhou et al., 2021) despite the ineffectiveness of sleep hygiene.

How can Dr. Carney help?

Dr. Carney served as the Co-Chair of the Ontario Health Quality Standard for Insomnia, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Behavioral and Psychological Treatment for Insomnia Clinical Guideline, and co-developer of the massive US Veterans Affairs Administration training of CBT-I. They have 20 years of training experience, including over 60 private trainings in medical and mental health practices, and would love to help click here. Here are previous trainings that I can tailor to your practice:

• Webinar: Brief training on the Standard, how to implement the Standard with 10-minute assessments and 1-minute CBT-I explanations, how to use a clinical decision tree, and how to access resources and CBT-I. All disciplines/members of your practice should attend so there is common language across the practice.
• CBT-I Training: An all-day virtual or in-person training, for those in your practice who are able to see clients individually for four 50-minute sessions or those interested in group therapy for six 90-minute sessions. Slides, recording, clinical handouts, and knowledge assessment included.
• Half-day training for Brief Behavioural Insomnia Therapy (BBTI): A half-day virtual or in-person training, for those in your practice who have limited time with patients or do not have cognitive therapy skills, BBTI uses a two session (30-45 minute) model that works well in medical settings. This is a very effective treatment, but for those patients who need more, they can be referred to full CBT-I within your practice or elsewhere, using the CBT-I provider list. Slides, recording, clinical handouts, and knowledge assessment included.
• Post-workshop follow-ups: The best outcomes/support for implementation involves post-workshop consultation. Notes/report on trainees, access to a free coaching and sleep log app, and knowledge assessment included.
• Train the Trainer training: If you have a large organization and want to sustain high quality CBT-I, a train the trainer program, trains trainers on: CBT-I, how to train other providers in CBT-I, and supervises the supervision of the trainers in post-training follow-up. Slides, recording, clinical handouts, therapy assessment tools, notes/report on trainers, and access to a free coaching and sleep log app included.
• Print/web material consultation: If you have posters/flyers or any material about insomnia, are they evidence-based and does it use motivational language suitable for your goal? Many practices use Sleep Hygiene handouts even though it is an ineffective strategy. We can replace your handouts with something more helpful.