Bret Ringdahl, PhD
Dr. Bret Ringdahl, Ph.D., is a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist at The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona’s Scottsdale and Gilbert clinics. He joined the clinical team following residency as Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Associate in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health.
Dr. Ringdahl earned his undergraduate degree in psychology at New York University and master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Ph.D. program in counseling psychology, with a subspecialty concentration in clinical health psychology. Dr. Ringdahl completed his predoctoral internship training in health psychology at the Washington DC VA Medical Center with specialized competency-based training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), among other evidence-based treatments.
Dr. Ringdahl has trained at a variety of mental health and medical settings treating individuals across the life span with a diversity of identities and backgrounds. Broadly, his work has focused on working with patients who struggle with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, mental health concerns related to physical illness, weight management, trauma, and the treatment of insomnia. His counseling psychology perspective to health is unique and focuses on holistic, developmental, multicultural, and strengths-based approaches to health and well-being, understanding that each patient brings a special contextual constellation of needs, barriers, and strengths.
Dr. Ringdahl holds a particular interest in the co-treatment of mental health and chronic medical illness. As a juvenile diabetic himself for over 20 years, he understands that when issues in either or both arise, life can become complicated quickly. He encourages his patients to take an active and primary role in their personal healing and growth, integrating cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions within an interpersonal and growth-focused orientation. Dr. Ringdahl has published articles and book chapters on several health issues including therapeutic treatment applications of positive masculinity and barriers to chronic illness treatment adherence. He is passionate about advancing the science and practice of behavioral sleep medicine, health psychology, compassion, and well-being for all.
“Every time I have been here has been great. I did an overnight sleep study a few weeks ago. The staff was very courteous, helpful and very insightful. I can call them whenever I have questions about my CPAP machine or my sleep health. 5 out of 5”
– Real Patient Review