A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Sleep and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Knowledge Into Graduate Psychology Students' Practice

Hailey Meaklim; James Farrough; Katelin Staben; Ana Victoria Morillo Aguirre; Melinda L Jackson; Lisa J. Meltzer; Moira F. Junge; Gerard A Kennedy; Romola S Bucks; Alexander Sweetman; Lisa J Phillips; David Cunnington; Kayley M. Lyons; Marnie Graco; Imogen C. Rehm

doi:10.1080/15402002.2025.2576909

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A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Sleep and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Knowledge Into Graduate Psychology Students' Practice

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A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Sleep and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Knowledge Into Graduate Psychology Students' Practice

Hailey Meaklim, James Farrough, Katelin Staben, Ana Victoria Morillo Aguirre, Melinda L Jackson, Lisa J. Meltzer, Moira F. Junge, Gerard A Kennedy, Romola S Bucks, Alexander Sweetman, …

Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Vol.24(2), pp.200-218

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15402002.2025.2576909

PMID: 41163515

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Abstract

Objectives Insomnia is highly comorbid with mental health conditions, yet graduate psychology students receive limited training in sleep and insomnia management. An online introductory sleep workshop focused on insomnia management with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) was developed for Australian graduate psychology students to address this training gap. However, some students reported difficulties applying CBT-I knowledge to clinical practice. This study explored the barriers and facilitators to implementing CBT-I knowledge into graduate psychology students’ practice post-workshop. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 graduate psychology students who attended an online introductory sleep and CBT-I workshop. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Facilitators of CBT-I implementation included: (1) Helpful workshop resources; (2) Increased awareness of the importance of sleep’s role in mental health; (3) Enhanced self-efficacy with introductory sleep skills (e.g. sleep history taking); and (4) Knowing where to access further training. Barriers included: (1) Limited ongoing training and clinical supervision; (2) Accessibility challenges; (3) Clinical implementation challenges; and (4) Constraints of being a graduate student. Conclusion The introductory workshop facilitated the development of introductory CBT-I skills among graduate psychology students, but ongoing training and supervision are needed to enhance implementation and expand Australia’s CBT-I workforce.

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Title: A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Sleep and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Knowledge Into Graduate Psychology Students' Practice
Authors: Hailey Meaklim - The University of Melbourne
James Farrough - The University of Melbourne
Katelin Staben - The University of Melbourne
Ana Victoria Morillo Aguirre - The University of Melbourne
Melinda L Jackson - Monash University
Lisa J. Meltzer - National Jewish Health
Moira F. Junge - Sleep Health Foundation (Australia)
Gerard A Kennedy - Austin Health
Romola S Bucks - The University of Western Australia
Alexander Sweetman - Victoria University
Lisa J Phillips - The University of Melbourne
David Cunnington - Sunshine Coast Respiratory & Sleep (Australia)
Kayley M. Lyons - The University of Melbourne
Marnie Graco - The University of Melbourne
Imogen C. Rehm (Corresponding Author) - Victoria University
Publication details: Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Vol.24(2), pp.200-218
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1080/15402002.2025.2576909
ISSN: 1540-2010
PMID: 41163515
Copyright note: © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: The data supporting this study’s findings are available on request from the corresponding author. Due to privacy restrictions, the data are not publicly available.
Grant note: This project received funding from a Brain and Mental Health Hub grant from the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne. Funding was also received by the Australasian Sleep Association through an ASA/SRS Mentor-Mentee Award for Author HM to revise the Sleep Psychology Workshop into its current form. Australasian Sleep Association administrative support was partly funded by a Health Peak and Advisory Bodies grant from the Department of Health and Aged Care; ASA/SRS Mentor-Mentee Award – Australasian Sleep Association.
Organisation Unit: Thompson Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991239799602621
Output Type: Journal article

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