Sleep is an important part of growth and development (physical, emotional and mental) in children and adolescence; and sadly this is something that is frequently overlooked or glossed over by clinicians, parents and schools. Dr. Harris will discuss the importance of sleep throughout the lifespan and what “normal” sleep looks like in children through young adults. She will highlight common pediatric sleep disorders and challenges that parents frequently seek help for and target some initial interventions to help families improve nighttime sleep.

About the presenter:

Shelby Harris,  PsyD, CBSM is a clinical psychologist in private practice in White Plains, NY. She is board certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine and treats a wide variety of sleep, anxiety and depression issues using evidence-based, non-medication treatments. Her self-help book, The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia: Get a Good Night’s Sleep Without Relying on Medication was published by W.W. Norton books in 2019. Dr. Harris holds a dual academic appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in both Neurology and Psychiatry.  

Before going into private practice, she was the longstanding director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center. 

Dr. Harris has been an invited columnist for the New York Times “Consults Blog,” and is frequently quoted in the media, including the New York Times, New Yorker, Huffington Post, and O Magazine. She has appeared on the Today Show, World News with Diane Sawyer and Good Morning America.