Abstract Introduction While sleep and circadian rhythm disorders are highly prevalent (e.g., chronic insomnia alone affects approximately 32 million adults in the United States), it appears that few health providers are adequately trained to assess and treat sleep problems. As of 2025, there are less than 275 practitioners board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. Most are psychologists and represent approximately 0.3% of psychologists in the U.S. More broadly, it’s unclear to what extent psychology trainees learn about sleep. The present study aimed to quantify the extent to which recent graduates from psychology programs received training in sleep, feel comfortable providing sleep-related services, and meet basic competencies in sleep health. Methods We surveyed 174 recent graduates (within the past 10 years) from professional psychology programs (i.e., clinical or counseling psychology PhD or PsyD) in the United States. Respondents provided demographic information and answered questions about their prior training and experiences working with patients who have sleep or circadian rhythm concerns. The sample was primarily young (mean age = 34.9 years), identified as women (81%), and White (80%). 77% of respondents reported being licensed in their state. A subset of participants (n = 35) were randomly invited to complete a brief health assessment to evaluate their sleep health knowledge and competency. Results Approximately three-quarters of respondents reported receiving six hours or less of formal educational training related to sleep, sleep disorders, or circadian rhythms during graduate school (73.0%) and postgraduate training (75.3%). A large proportion of respondents reported feeling not or only a “little” prepared to assess (43%) and treat (41%) sleep-related problems. Similarly, 40% reported feeling not or only a “little” confident in treating insomnia disorder. Among participants who completed the sleep health assessment, the mean score was 69.8% (SD = 9.0; Range = 40.0 – 82.9). Conclusion While the present findings are primarily descriptive, they provide insight into the training, experiences, and relative competency of professional psychologists. That is, in this sample of recent graduates from psychology programs, the majority endorse having minimal training and comfort working with sleep-disordered populations. This is also consistent with more objective metrics of competency. Support (if any) Franco Institute Small Research Award
Vargas et al. (Fri,) studied this question.