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Date
22 November 2025
9 am -12 pm
Organised by
RANZCPDelivery
OnlineAbout
This masterclass will equip psychiatrists with practical, evidence-based approaches to assessing and managing sleep disorders in clinical practice. Topics include insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, parasomnias, and the role of sleep in psychiatric conditions.
Learning outcomes:
- Appreciation of basic sleep physiology and its application to mental health
- A working understanding of sleep disorders
- Taking a sleep history
- An approach to addressing common sleep problems in practice
Basic sleep physiology and taking a sleep history
Dr David Cunnington
Dr Cunnington will outline how sleep is regulated—homeostatic and circadian processes, normal architecture and sleep norms—and translate that into a practical approach to clinical assessment. Learn a framework for the assessment of sleep problems in your patients, which will equip you with the knowledge and skills to start to address the sleep component of your patients, and understand when to refer on for more specialised assessment and management.
Sleep-Wake Schedule Disorders and Insomnia
Dr Curtis Gray
Dr. Gray will provide perspectives on the clinical significance of Sleep-Wake Schedule Disorders, insomnia, and Insomnia Disorder, and will discuss management strategies for implementation in adult psychiatric practice. Topics will include relevant epidemiology, diagnostic considerations, and the role of both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions in treatment.
Hypersomnia and Parasomnias
Dr Meryl Dahlitz
Dr Dahlitz will provide an insight into the key clinical aspects of excessive daytime sleepiness and some of the common parasomnias. Disturbed sleep is a central feature of psychiatric illness. However, if you are one of the many psychiatrists who have had no training in primary sleep disorders, or you have a creeping suspicion that your knowledge could benefit from a refresh, this presentation is for you.
Excessive daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy, sleep paralysis, hypersomnia, sleepwalking and REM behaviour disorder will all be outlined. You will get a practical clinical update and a foundation to confidently diagnose these conditions and to identify when to make specialist referrals.
Pricing
Member Type | Price |
RANZCP Fellow or Affiliate Member | $195 |
RANZCP Trainee | $160 |
PIF member | $100 |
Other medical practitioner | $215 |
Allied health / non - medical | $160 |
Plus, access the recording
The masterclass will be recorded and made available to participants for twelve months.
Speakers
Dr David Cunnington
Dr David Cunnington is a Sunshine Coast based sleep physician, and co-founder of the online sleep resource, SleepHub.com.au. David trained in sleep medicine both in Australia and at Harvard Medical School and has been practising sleep medicine for the last 20 years, treating people with a range of sleep problems.
David's recent research has been in developing non-drug treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy & mindfulness mediation for insomnia and other sleep disorders. His research and commentaries on sleep have been published in leading medical journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine and The British Medical Journal.
David's research on sleep has also received coverage in a range of press outlets such as the New York Times, Scientific American, NPR and The Huffington Post. David appears regularly in the media as a commentator on sleep and health.
Dr David Cunnington is a Sunshine Coast based sleep physician, and co-founder of the online sleep resource, SleepHub.com.au. David trained in sleep medicine both in Australia and at Harvard Medical School and has been practising sleep medicine for the last 20 years, treating people with a range of sleep problems.
David's recent research has been in developing non-drug treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy & mindfulness mediation for insomnia and other sleep disorders. His research and commentaries on sleep have been published in leading medical journals such as Annals of Internal Medicine and The British Medical Journal.
David's research on sleep has also received coverage in a range of press outlets such as the New York Times, Scientific American, NPR and The Huffington Post. David appears regularly in the media as a commentator on sleep and health.
Dr Curtis Gray
Dr Curtis Gray (MB BS, FRANZCP, AFRACMA - 2014-2025) is an experienced adult psychiatrist with clinical interests in sleep disorders and their relationship to psychiatry, mood and anxiety disorders, the interplay between medical conditions/injuries and mental health, trauma and stressor related disorders, and medicolegal matters related to those areas.
He has worked across both public and private sectors for most of his 30+ year career, and contributed to state and local college committees and activities. He is a foundation Accredited Member of the Faculties of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychiatry of Old Age, and an Accredited Member of the Faculties of Psychotherapy and Adult Psychiatry.
He holds appointments to the Mater Hospital’s Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service, the Qld Mental Health Review Tribunal, and the Queensland Medical Assessment Tribunal as Deputy Chair. He has been a member of the Australasian Sleep Association for 30 years, has regularly attended their meetings, and has contributed to their educational activities.
Dr Curtis Gray (MB BS, FRANZCP, AFRACMA - 2014-2025) is an experienced adult psychiatrist with clinical interests in sleep disorders and their relationship to psychiatry, mood and anxiety disorders, the interplay between medical conditions/injuries and mental health, trauma and stressor related disorders, and medicolegal matters related to those areas.
He has worked across both public and private sectors for most of his 30+ year career, and contributed to state and local college committees and activities. He is a foundation Accredited Member of the Faculties of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychiatry of Old Age, and an Accredited Member of the Faculties of Psychotherapy and Adult Psychiatry.
He holds appointments to the Mater Hospital’s Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service, the Qld Mental Health Review Tribunal, and the Queensland Medical Assessment Tribunal as Deputy Chair. He has been a member of the Australasian Sleep Association for 30 years, has regularly attended their meetings, and has contributed to their educational activities.
Dr Meryl Dahlitz
Dr Meryl Dahlitz is a specialist in Neuropsychiatry, Sleep and Circadian Medicine. Meryl is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Sleep Psychiatry at Monash University.
Her training in psychiatry was based at The Maudsley Hospital in London, where she managed a broad range of sleep disorders with the neurology team there. She has an international medical research background and a PhD in the genetics of narcolepsy.
She extensively investigated the delayed sleep wake phase syndrome and the phase-shifting effect of melatonin on the circadian rhythm. She is an experienced psychiatry teacher and is author of the Sleep Disorders chapter in Lishman’s Textbook of Organic Psychiatry.
Dr Meryl Dahlitz is a specialist in Neuropsychiatry, Sleep and Circadian Medicine. Meryl is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Sleep Psychiatry at Monash University.
Her training in psychiatry was based at The Maudsley Hospital in London, where she managed a broad range of sleep disorders with the neurology team there. She has an international medical research background and a PhD in the genetics of narcolepsy.
She extensively investigated the delayed sleep wake phase syndrome and the phase-shifting effect of melatonin on the circadian rhythm. She is an experienced psychiatry teacher and is author of the Sleep Disorders chapter in Lishman’s Textbook of Organic Psychiatry.
CPD Hours
This Masterclass will give you up to 3 CPD hours.
RANZCP Member:
We will upload your registration to MyCPD portal as a draft activity. Instead of receiving a certificate of attendance, you'll need to log in to your MyCPD account to complete a reflection and submit your draft activity. Instructions on completing draft activities.
Others:
If you are not a member of the RANZCP, you may request a certificate of attendance by emailing events@ranzcp.org. Please check with your certifying organisation if you are eligible for CPD points for the masterclass.
Delegate Cancellation
To cancel your registration, please email foundation@ranzcp.org. Refunds are provided in accordance with the RANZCP refund policy.
Disclaimer
This session is a Member benefit of the RANZCP and for educational purposes only.
The information may represent views of the author and not necessarily the views of the College. Information is subject to change and the College does not warrant that the information is current at the time of viewing and accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by you or a patient directly or indirectly as a result of relying on information provided and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.
By accessing e-learning sessions you also agree to the RANZCP Website Terms of Use Agreement.
Recording
This Masterclass will be recorded, and the on-demand version will be available until 9 November 2026.
