Please Join Us:
Interpersonal Theoretical Approach to Improving Sleep Health in Psychotherapy
(3 CEUs)
with:
Heather Gunn, Ph.D. and Julia Makaronis, Ph.D.
When: Friday, April 17, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event) Cost: BVPA Members Free, Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.
When: Friday, April 17, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event)
Cost: BVPA Members Free, Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.
Program Description: Sleep problems are ubiquitous, can interfere with therapy goals, and can also be indicative of inter- and intrapersonal patterns relevant to people’s presenting concerns. In this interactive session, attendees will learn basic principles of sleep and how to evaluate and help clients modify sleep patterns through an interpersonal framework. Thus, after the first half of this interactive session, attendees will be able to define good sleep health, describe brief assessments for sleep health and disorders and how to monitor sleep changes, and identify empirically-based methods to ameliorate problematic sleep and identify severe sleep issues that require specialized care. In the second half of the session, attendees will be able to identify common interpersonal patterns that interfere with good sleep health and will learn how to recognize treatment-relevant sleep patterns. Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will learn the biology governing sleep and components of sleep health, which comprises sleep satisfaction, duration, efficiency, timing, alertness, and regularity. 2. Attendees will describe empirically-supported behavioral strategies to help modify clients' sleep patterns and hallmarks of severe sleep issues requiring a specialized referral 3. Attendees will identify common inter- and intrapersonal patterns that interfere with sleep health.
Program Description: Sleep problems are ubiquitous, can interfere with therapy goals, and can also be indicative of inter- and intrapersonal patterns relevant to people’s presenting concerns. In this interactive session, attendees will learn basic principles of sleep and how to evaluate and help clients modify sleep patterns through an interpersonal framework. Thus, after the first half of this interactive session, attendees will be able to define good sleep health, describe brief assessments for sleep health and disorders and how to monitor sleep changes, and identify empirically-based methods to ameliorate problematic sleep and identify severe sleep issues that require specialized care. In the second half of the session, attendees will be able to identify common interpersonal patterns that interfere with good sleep health and will learn how to recognize treatment-relevant sleep patterns.
Learning Objectives:
1. Attendees will learn the biology governing sleep and components of sleep health, which comprises sleep satisfaction, duration, efficiency, timing, alertness, and regularity.
2. Attendees will describe empirically-supported behavioral strategies to help modify clients' sleep patterns and hallmarks of severe sleep issues requiring a specialized referral
3. Attendees will identify common inter- and intrapersonal patterns that interfere with sleep health.
About Our Speakers Dr. Heather Gunn completed her PhD in clinical health psychology at the University of Utah, her internship at Rush University Medical Center, and postdoctoral training at University of Pittsburgh. She has expertise in interpersonal theory and behavioral sleep medicine. Her research focuses on social influences (i.e., SES, race, family dynamics, school start times) on health, and particularly sleep, and has been supported by the National Institute of Health and the Sleep Research Society Foundation. She is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Alabama. Dr. Julia Mackaronis completed her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah, her internship at the Southwest Consortium Doctoral Internship, and postdoctoral training in couple and family health at the Seattle VA. She has expertise in applying interpersonal theory to psychotherapy, clinical decision-making, and supervision. Her current position is primarily clinical, but she remains active in psychotherapy research as a Lead Mental Health Provider at the Roger Saux Health Center, Quinault Indian.
About Our Speakers
Dr. Heather Gunn completed her PhD in clinical health psychology at the University of Utah, her internship at Rush University Medical Center, and postdoctoral training at University of Pittsburgh. She has expertise in interpersonal theory and behavioral sleep medicine. Her research focuses on social influences (i.e., SES, race, family dynamics, school start times) on health, and particularly sleep, and has been supported by the National Institute of Health and the Sleep Research Society Foundation. She is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Alabama.
Dr. Julia Mackaronis completed her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah, her internship at the Southwest Consortium Doctoral Internship, and postdoctoral training in couple and family health at the Seattle VA. She has expertise in applying interpersonal theory to psychotherapy, clinical decision-making, and supervision. Her current position is primarily clinical, but she remains active in psychotherapy research as a Lead Mental Health Provider at the Roger Saux Health Center, Quinault Indian.
