CBT-I in Canada: your options compared

There is no single best way to get CBT-I in Canada. The treatment is the same ingredients wherever you get it, and the choices differ in who guides you, what it costs, and how soon you can start. CBT-I stands for cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, and guidelines name it as the treatment to try first for chronic insomnia. ^[1][2] If the term is new to you, what CBT-I is explains the parts. Your realistic options, from most to least personal, are below.

This page describes each route and lists what we could confirm from each provider's own pages on 7 October 2026. Prices and availability change, so check the linked page before you decide.

What the research says

Whichever route you pick, the research is reassuring about how much is needed and how much guidance matters. The Canadian Psychological Association says 70 to 80% of people with insomnia benefit significantly from 4 to 6 sessions of CBT-I, ^[1] and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine describes a full course as typically 4 to 8 sessions, with brief versions of 1 to 4. It found too little evidence to say whether any format (individual, group, internet, self-help or video) beats another. ^[2] Doing it yourself is a real option: across 20 trials, self-help CBT-I improved sleep, and dropout was no higher than with a therapist (14.5% against 16.7%, not a significant difference). ^[3] Guidance still helps. Across 11 internet-program trials, more personal clinical support went with larger effects, ^[4] and web-based CBT-I with a therapist ranked highest in a network analysis of 54 trials. ^[5] In plain terms, a short, structured course is enough for most people, and a real person checking in makes it work better.

The studies behind this

• Number of sessions. The Canadian Psychological Association says research shows 70 to 80% of people with insomnia benefit significantly from 4 to 6 sessions of CBT-I. ^[1]
• What a guideline counts as a full course. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine guideline describes CBT-I as typically 4 to 8 sessions, and brief versions as typically 1 to 4 sessions. It found there was not enough evidence to make recommendations about particular delivery methods (individual, group, internet, self-help or video) for any of the treatments. ^[2]
• Self-help works too. A review of 20 trials found self-help CBT-I improved sleep, and dropout was 14.5% against 16.7% for therapist-delivered CBT-I, not a significant difference. ^[3]
• Support helps. In a review of 11 internet-program trials, a higher degree of personal clinical support went with larger effects. ^[4] Web-based CBT-I with a therapist ranked highest in a network analysis of 54 trials. ^[5]

The routes at a glance

Route	Who guides you	What we could confirm about cost and access
Psychologist or counsellor	A trained person, one to one	Private fees. Psychologists are not usually covered by BC's MSP. [6]
Online CBT-I clinic (HALEO)	Licensed therapist, online	$300 per session if you pay yourself, as of October 2026; currency not stated. Employer or insurer coverage varies. [7]
Your doctor or nurse practitioner	A short version, if offered	Ask your practice. Brief versions are recommended conditionally, and offering them varies. [2][8]
Free self-help tools (VA apps, Sleepwell)	You	The VA apps are listed as Free in the Canadian App Store. Sleepwell's page shows no price. [9][10][11][12][13]
Books	You	Cost of the book. Evidence is older. [3][15]
Commercial apps	The app, sometimes plus a coach	Varies. See below. [16][17][19][21]
Small Hours	The app	Free diary and first three weeks. See below.

A psychologist, counsellor or other therapist

This is the most personal route. A therapist can adjust the plan to your situation and answer questions as they come up.

• Cost. In British Columbia, the Canadian Mental Health Association says registered psychologists are not usually covered by MSP, so you pay yourself. It adds that workplace extended health benefits or an employee assistance program may cover some costs, and that some psychologists offer a sliding scale. ^[6]
• Typical fees. We could not read a psychologist fee schedule. The BC Association of Clinical Counsellors' 2026 fee guide recommends $140 to $155 per 50 minutes for individual therapy with a less experienced registered clinical counsellor, and $155 to $175 for a more experienced one. It says counsellors may charge more or less. ^[24]
• Public coverage. Every provincial plan covers medically necessary hospital and physician services, and each province decides which other services it considers medically necessary. ^[23] A 2017 report from Queen's University quoted a researcher saying CBT-I was not covered by provincial health plans and was rarely offered in primary care. ^[8] Coverage may differ in your province or setting, so ask.
• Finding someone trained in CBT-I. Ask directly whether they deliver CBT-I with time-in-bed scheduling, not only general talk therapy. Ask this as a question to the therapist. It is not a ranking of any therapist.

An online CBT-I clinic: HALEO

HALEO is a virtual clinic. Its FAQ says its programs are grounded in CBT-I and usually run 5 to 6 weeks, with a weekly online session with a registered psychologist, psychotherapist or social worker and an app. It says it serves residents of Canada and the United States, and that it launched in Australia in late 2025 through insurance partners. ^[7]

• Cost. As of October 2026 its FAQ lists $300 per session for people paying on their own, without naming the currency. If you come through an employer or insurer, the program may be fully covered or available at a preferential rate. Invoices are emailed after each session for you to submit to your insurer. ^[7]
• Good to know. The company reports its own outcome figures. We have not reviewed them independently, so treat them as the company's claims.

Your doctor or nurse practitioner

Brief versions of CBT-I exist and are recommended conditionally by the AASM guideline. ^[2] Some family practices offer them, but the Queen's report described this as rare. ^[8] It costs nothing to ask, and CBT-I in primary care describes how a stepped approach can work. If you are on a sleep medication or have other health conditions, your doctor needs to be part of the plan either way.

Free self-help tools

• VA Insomnia Coach. An app from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA says it was created for everyone, including Veterans and Service members, and can be used on its own or alongside professional care. ^[10] It is listed as Free in the Canadian App Store. ^[11]
• VA CBT-i Coach. A different VA app, designed to be used with a mental healthcare provider rather than for self-care. ^[9] Apple's Canadian store also lists it as Free. ^[12]
• Sleepwell (mysleepwell.ca). A not-for-profit site with a sleep diary, a sleep calculator, an insomnia score and thought exercises, and funders named on the page include Health Canada. Its home page does not state a price. ^[13] Sleepwell was created by a Dalhousie University professor to teach CBT-I as an alternative to sleeping pills. ^[14]
• The Insomnia Coach page says to consult a healthcare provider first if you have sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, bipolar disorder or a seizure disorder, among other conditions, because changes to sleep habits may affect them. ^[10]

Books

Book-based CBT-I was tested in an early trial of 54 adults: six weekly booklets helped compared with a waiting list, with or without a short weekly phone call. ^[15] A meta-analysis of self-help CBT-I, which includes books, found improvements in sleep. ^[3] Books have no diary-based coaching, so you do the maths yourself. We do not name a title because we have not reviewed trial evidence for any single book. If you are weighing a solo route, can you do CBT-I on your own? goes deeper.

Commercial apps

Here is what each company's own pages say. Currency is often not stated, so confirm before paying.

• Sleepio (Big Health). Six sessions with a virtual sleep expert. Its page says it is for adults 18 and older, in English, and that people diagnosed with insomnia disorder should use it under a healthcare professional's supervision. ^[16] Big Health presents it to health systems, health plans and employers, with a demo request rather than an individual sign-up. ^[17] It has a listing in the Canadian App Store, ^[18] but the pages we read do not say how an individual in Canada signs up or pays. Ask your employer or benefits provider.
• Stellar Sleep. Offers an app program, or a matched insomnia specialist covered by insurance, and calls itself the largest insomnia care organization in the US. Its page says the app is purchased separately and is HSA/FSA eligible, which are US account types. ^[19] It has a Canadian App Store listing. ^[20] We could not confirm Canadian pricing or insurance coverage.
• Sleep Reset. A program with coaching support. As of October 2026 its page shows a $19 one-week trial and then $297 per 28 days, without naming the currency. ^[21] Its FAQ says it is available internationally, with coaches based in the United States who message during US business hours, in English only. ^[22]
• HALEO is covered above and is the one on this list that names Canada as a country it serves.

We left out Dawn Health because its current site describes products built for drug companies, not a consumer CBT-I program.

Small Hours

Small Hours is a self-guided six-week CBT-I program in an app, built from a working sleep clinic's course. It is based in British Columbia and billed in Canadian dollars.

• Free: the sleep diary, your sleep-efficiency numbers, the weekly time-in-bed recommendation, and the lessons for weeks 1 to 3, with no time limit.
• Paid: weeks 4 to 6, an AI coach, and a progress report you can give your doctor. The progress report is free during the trial. The price is on the pricing page.
• Where it fits. It suits people who want a structured program they can follow on their own and, if they like, share with a clinician. What makes Small Hours different goes through the detail.
• Honest limits. Small Hours has no published trial of its own. The research above is about CBT-I and digital CBT-I as categories. It is not a medical service and does not diagnose.

How to choose

1. If you have other health conditions, take sleep medication, or have a job that involves driving or heavy machinery, start with your doctor. The AASM guideline notes that the time-in-bed restriction used in CBT-I may be contraindicated for people in high-risk occupations such as drivers or heavy machinery operators, people predisposed to mania or hypomania, and people with poorly controlled seizure disorders. ^[2]
2. If cost matters most, start with the free tools above, or the free parts of an app, and add paid help if you need it.
3. If you want a person, ask whether your employer's benefits cover a therapist or an online clinic.
4. If you have tried self-help and stalled, a therapist is a sensible next step. The 2015 review describes self-help as an entry level of stepped care, where more help can be added later. ^[3]

Where the evidence is thin

• Trials test particular programs. A good result for one product does not carry over to another.
• Company pages describe what a company offers, not independent results.
• Prices and Canadian availability change often. We checked on 7 October 2026 and left out anything we could not confirm.
• Public coverage differs by province and changes. The sources here are BC-focused or national in scope.

If you are in distress, call or text 9-8-8 in Canada at any hour.

General education, not medical advice.