Dawson, Spencer

Education and Training:

PhD: University of Arizona, APA accredited, PCSAS accredited

Internship: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, APA accredited

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Northwestern University, SBSM accredited

Professional Biography

I began my work in sleep research with four years as a research assistant at the University of Michigan, performing and analyzing overnight sleep studies for research participants. I completed my PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Arizona with Dr. Richard Bootzin, who developed one of the first behavioral treatments for insomnia: stimulus control. I completed my internship at the Ann Arbor VA. I then completed a two-year fellowship at Northwestern University with Dr. Jason Ong, who developed Mindfulness Based Therapy for Insomnia. I have helped treat sleep problems in many contexts, including psychology department clinic, outpatient psychiatry clinic, primary care, PTSD clinic, sleep disorders clinic, and even in the Arizona State Prison System.

Practice Focus

Most of my patients are adults with chronic insomnia. Most of my patients also have other sleep disorders, medical problems, or mental health problems. Many have tried sleeping pills without success. Whether you take sleeping pills or not, and whether you want to stop taking them or not, I would be happy to help with behavioral strategies to improve sleep. Other problems I can help with include circadian rhythm disorders, nightmares, adjusting to using CPAP, and improving sleep and daytime functioning for people with narcolepsy.