Spencer Dawson

Spencer Dawson is an assistant clinical professor and associate director of clinical training in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine.

Dawson runs the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Research and Training Clinic, where he trains doctoral students to assess and treat psychological problems such as depression and anxiety, providing high-quality clinical services to the community at low cost. He has particular clinical expertise in the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders, the most common of which is insomnia. The insomnia treatment he provides is known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, and is recognized as the first-line treatment for all adults with chronic insomnia.

The broader field of behavioral sleep medicine includes treatment of circadian rhythm disorders, dependence on sleeping pills, nightmares, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia and difficulty adapting to treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Dawson is board certified in this area of clinical practice, having earned the status as a Diplomate of Behavioral Sleep Medicine — one of only four people in the state of Indiana with this credential. He is also an at-large director of the Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and serves as a scientific advisor to the nonprofit group Save Standard Time.

Areas of Expertise

Clinical psychology, sleep, sleep disorders, insomnia, circadian rhythms, daylight saving time, cognitive behavioral therapy, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, nightmares, obstructive sleep apnea.

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