Consultation for CBT for Nightmares (CBT-N)

Meet Our CBT-N Consultants


consultant image

Joanne Davis, PhD

Co-Investigator

consultant image

Miriam L. Rubin, PhD, CBSM, DBSM

Co-Investigator

Consultation is an important next step as you begin to implement CBT for Nightmares. Engaging in Consultation when practicing a new behavioral intervention ensures that providers are meeting their ethical responsibility of providing competent clinical services (Ethical Principles of Psychologists, 2.01). Our Consultants are experienced in the provision of CBT-N and can offer advice on addressing the needs of clients with co-occurring sleep and behavioral health concerns. Consultees also have the option of achieving provider status in CBT-Nightmares or may wish to count their Consultation hours towards a Diplomate in Behavioral Sleep Medicine (DBSM).

Consultees must be health or behavioral health providers who are licensed to practice independently and have completed CBT-N training prior to the start of consultation. Experience in the provision of cognitive behavioral therapy and / or trauma intervention is beneficial to learning CBT-N, but not required.

Consultation is conducted via video teleconference in a weekly group format (typically @ 4-8 consultees). Groups meet for 20 sessions (approximately 5 months), consultees may sign up for half a group (10 sessions). Sessions last 50-55 minutes. Consultation groups may also include providers who are receiving consultation for CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I). We encourage consultees to make every effort to attend regularly, especially while actively seeing CBT-N cases in order to receive timely advice and support for implementing this brief intervention. See below for attendance requirements for those seeking optional provider status for CBT-N.

As part of this consultation, we are offering the option of achieving provider status in CBT-Nightmares. Provider status requirements include:
  1. Complete CBT-N training
  2. Attend and actively participate in a minimum of 14 Consultation sessions
  3. Complete to treatment fidelity a minimum of 3 individual cases
  4. A part of each main component of treatment (e.g., sleep habit review, introducing theories of nightmares, exposure, rescripting, and relaxation training) must be discussed in order for the consultant to determine that the provider has mastered the skill. Providers have the option of recording sessions for the consultant to review.

Yes, two of our Consultants (Drs. Pruiksma and Rubin) are board-certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Participation in their CBT-N Consultation groups can be counted towards eligibility requirements for BSM certification. (For more information, please see Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine website at bsmcredential.org/index.php/eligibility.)

Thursdays  3pm CST / 4pm EST with Joanne Davis, Ph.D.   Current group cohort January - June 2025
Thursdays  9am CST / 10am EST with Miriam Rubin, Ph.D., DBSM   Current group cohort March - July 2025

Note: New group members may join mid-group if space is available. Please contact Dr. Rubin at Rubinmiriam79@gmail.com for information about current and upcoming group availability.

$500 for 20 consultation sessions (~$25 per consultation session for 5 months) OR $250 for 10 consultation sessions (~$25 per consultation for 2 1/2 months).

Information regarding payment method will be sent upon receipt of the CBT-Nightmares Consultation Sign-Up Form.

At this time our group is unable to offer consultation for clinical cases seen within the VA. This is for multiple reasons, including payment and technical issues. We recommend that VA providers who are interested in CBT-N consultation contact Katherine Miller (at katherine.miller13@va.gov) or VACBTNightmares@va.gov to express interest in attending CBT-N consultation through one of the VA-based CBT-N consultation groups. While these groups have limited capacity to offer consultation beyond those who attend live (virtual or in person) training, they may be able to offer placement on their wait list. In addition, being able to identify VA providers who are seeking consultation will hopefully lead to greater resources being given to VA-based consultation groups.

Consultees who wish to withdraw from consultation after the initial session will be given a refund minus any payment-related fees. After the initial session, refunds will be made at the discretion of the consultant. 

You can send questions to Dr. Miriam Rubin: Rubinmiriam79@gmail.com and CBTNightmares@MUSC.edu

You can sign up using this link!

(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGoIPKyg_jJtyD9jIXNPOQIgcHzCoXzVvlfiIRzG_MpUD9Iw/viewform?usp=sf_link)