Jerusha Detweiler-Bedell, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
In our therapy sessions we will focus on your story and your specific needs as they relate to your difficulties with sleep. Before you make a choice about joining me in this journey, you can read my story of how I came to be a clinical psychologist focused on therapy for adults with insomnia.
My Training and Career Path
My career in clinical psychology began when I was an undergraduate at Stanford University, volunteering at a student-run peer-counseling center, where we offered anonymous 24/7 peer counseling to members of the community. From there, I went on to get my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Yale University, where my clinical rotations and research allowed me to focus in particular on the treatment of anxiety and depression. I completed my clinical training with an internship at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital in 2001, and then moved to the Pacific Northwest thanks to a job opportunity at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. As a professor of clinical and health psychology, I am able to teach and conduct research as well as have a clinical practice.
My Focus on Sleep Therapy for Adults:
In 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to make a change in my approach to clinical practice by narrowing my focus to the treatment of insomnia in adults. Below, I describe the three reasons why I launched SleepBetterPDX and made the decision to focus my practice on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
First, and most importantly, my professional background positions me well to work within a cognitive behavioral approach while carefully tailoring this highly effective sleep therapy to each client’s needs. My clinical training as a doctoral student at Yale University was focused on providing therapy that addresses the thoughts, behaviors, and intense emotional experiences that interfere with a person’s daily functioning, personal relationships, and/or professional life. My clinical training also was rooted in the idea that research-based treatments like CBT are most effective when they are delivered with clients’ specific needs held front and center, as reflected in my book: Treatment Planning in Psychotherapy. I work in close collaboration with my clients to come up with specific goals, to understand the way thoughts, feelings, and behaviors relate to the problems with sleep, and to teach new and highly effective methods of coping.
Second, insomnia is personal. I began to experience sleep problems while pregnant with my third child, and even after the normal sleep disruptions of infancy were in the rearview mirror, my sleep difficulties remained. My symptoms of insomnia ranged from mild to severe over a number of years until I finally learned and then integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) into my own life. The CBT-I approach made good sense to me given my clinical training, and most importantly, applying CBT-I's interventions significantly improved my sleep in a relatively short period of time. I won’t gloss over the fact that it was hard to adopt some of the recommendations at first, but the principles I learned transformed my own sleep for the best, and I know it is my professional obligation to share these tools for success with others.
Finally, insomnia is a very common problem, made worse during the Covid-19 pandemic, and there are not enough therapists available to help treat it. Over half of Americans (56%) say they have experienced an increase in sleep disturbances since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (American Academy of Sleep Medicine), and the most common sleep disturbance people reported was trouble falling or staying asleep. A third of adults in the United States report that they usually get less than seven hours of sleep a day (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), and 10% of Americans suffer from sleep disturbances that last for more than three nights a week for three or more months (American Medical Association). That’s the bad news. The good news is that CBT-I is a well-researched and highly effective treatment! In fact, it’s the first-line (“gold standard”) sleep therapy for insomnia. Unfortunately, CBT-I is underutilized in large part because there aren't enough clinicians trained in CBT-I. In preparation for focusing on sleep therapy for adults, I have participated in professional trainings, conducted research, and read a range of publications about the therapy. I'm enthusiastic about broadening access to this important and highly effective therapy for sleep problems by sharing all I have learned with you.
Your Story
If you’ve read this much about me, I hope you can see that my goal is to support you fully as you do the work necessary to sleep better. I look forward to learning your story and helping you achieve your goals in order to live a fulfilling, well-rested life. If you’re ready for help, please read the Appointments section of this website and then contact me by email: Jerusha@SleepBetterPDX.com