CBT-I for Insomnia

8 Sessions

Sleep—essential yet elusive for so many of us—forms the foundation for everything from clear thinking and emotional balance to physical health. Our Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) plan addresses sleep problems using methods that experts worldwide recognize as the most effective first-line treatment.

This approach helps reset your relationship with sleep by replacing habits that actually make sleep worse with specific behavioral changes that restore your natural sleep patterns. For adults, we use an 8-session structure that gradually introduces sleep consolidation techniques, stimulus control methods, strategies for changing unhelpful thoughts about sleep, and relaxation practices. For children and teenagers, we offer a shorter 5-session approach with age-appropriate techniques and guidance for parents.

While sleep patterns naturally change throughout our lives, ongoing sleep problems aren't something you just have to accept as part of aging, child development, or stressful periods. Sleep difficulties can be effectively treated at any age.

Sessions are delivered virtually, with limited in-person availability.

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Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day. - Matthew Walker, Ph.D, Author of Why We Sleep

.Almost everyone experiences trouble sleeping at some point in life, and these difficulties often improve on their own when temporary stress passes. True insomnia is different—it sticks around even after the original trigger is gone. What starts as a few restless nights can develop into a frustrating cycle that deserves professional attention.

With insomnia, you might find yourself lying awake for hours, waking up frequently during the night, or dreading bedtime because you know sleep won’t come easily. Even when you're exhausted, your mind may race with worry, or you may fall asleep only to wake up too early and feeling unrefreshed.

Common indicators for this plan include:

Persistent difficulty falling asleep
Frequent waking with inability to fall back to sleep
Early morning awakening well before intended wake time
Ongoing fatigue despite sufficient time for sleep
Intrusive thoughts or hypervigilance around bedtime
Daytime cognitive impairment or emotion dysregulation linked to sleep deprivation
Anticipatory worry about sleeplessness
Excessive reliance on sleep medications with diminishing returns

Why you might choose this plan

What to expect

Sleep challenges look different depending on your child's age. Younger children might fight bedtime routines, struggle with separation anxiety when it's time to sleep, or develop behavior problems from being overtired. Teenagers often fall into a pattern where their internal clock shifts later at night, making it harder to fall asleep early and wake up on time. This biological change can clash with school demands and lead to sleep loss. Many teens also develop habits like late-night screen use that make quality sleep even harder to achieve.

In-person, telehealth or both

How long does therapy take?

CBT-I doesn’t just help you manage sleep problems—it’s designed to break the cycle of insomnia at its source.Treatment starts with a sleep assessment and education to help you understand your sleep patterns and what’s disrupting them, then introduces a structured schedule to help reset your body’s natural sleep rhythm.

You’ll also learn how to shift unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about sleep that may be getting in the way of rest. Along the way, your therapist will guide you in creating a healthier sleep environment so that your brain starts to associate your bedroom with rest instead of frustration or wakefulness. We may also recommend using sleep-tracking apps to give you helpful data and support your progress.

Insomnia is one of the most treatable conditions in behavioral health. Research shows that CBT-I is as effective as sleep medication—sometimes even more so—with long-lasting results. In fact, 70–80% of people experience meaningful improvement in just 8 sessions. Children and teens often improve even faster, with many seeing significant progress in as few as 5 sessions.

Therapy Lab clinicians hold advanced degrees in clinical psychology, clinical child/adolescent psychology, and related science-based clinical practices. They also receive ongoing training in CBT-I protocols for all age groups. To learn more about CBT-I, please see the resources below.

About Therapy Lab therapists

Dewald-Kaufmann, J. F., Oort, F. J., & Meijer, A. M. (2014). The effects of sleep extension and sleep hygiene advice on sleep and depressive symptoms in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(3), 273-283.
Meltzer, L. J., & Mindell, J. A. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of behavioral interventions for pediatric insomnia. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 39(8), 932-948.
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Trauer, J. M., Qian, M. Y., Doyle, J. S., Rajaratnam, S. M., & Cunnington, D. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 163(3), 191-204.
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Wu, J. Q., Appleman, E. R., Salazar, R. D., & Ong, J. C. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia comorbid with psychiatric and medical conditions: A meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(9), 1461-1472.