Insomnia and Sleep Therapy

Sleep problems can take over much more than the night.

You may spend hours trying to fall asleep, wake repeatedly, wake earlier than you want, or feel as though you barely slept at all. During the day, you might worry about the next night, question whether something is wrong with your sleep, or organize your life around how tired you expect to feel.

I provide evidence-based sleep therapy for people experiencing chronic insomnia and related sleep difficulties.

Sleep Concerns I Help With

I have in-depth experience supporting people with:

• Chronic insomnia

• Difficulty falling asleep

• Frequent waking during the night

• Waking earlier than intended

• Sleep anxiety and fear of not sleeping

• Nightmares and distressing dreams

• Feeling awake for much of the night

• Worry about the effects of poor sleep

• Sleep difficulties connected with anxiety, stress, or depression

• Sleep changes related to chronic pain or illness

• Sleep disruption during major life changes

• Unhelpful sleep tracking, clock-watching, and rigid sleep rules

You may have already tried changing your bedtime, taking supplements, tracking your sleep, following strict routines, or searching for the right sleep tip. These strategies can sometimes help with short-term sleep problems. With chronic insomnia, however, trying harder to sleep can create more pressure, worry, and frustration.

Our work focuses on understanding what may have started your sleep difficulties, what may be keeping them going now, and which changes are most likely to help.

My Approach to Sleep Therapy

My approach is compassionate, collaborative, practical, and evidence-based.

You will not be given a generic list of sleep hygiene tips or expected to follow a rigid routine that does not fit your life. We will look closely at your sleep patterns, your relationship with sleep, and the habits or pressures that may be maintaining the cycle.

Together, we may work on:

• Strengthening your natural sleep patterns

• Reducing the time and energy spent trying to control sleep

• Responding differently to difficult nights

• Reducing clock-watching and sleep-related checking

• Making bedtime feel less stressful

• Challenging frightening or unhelpful beliefs about sleep

• Building a more flexible and sustainable sleep routine

• Helping sleep take up less space in your day

The aim is not to create flawless sleep every night. It is to help you sleep better, feel better, and live more without constantly planning your life around sleep.

Evidence-Based Approaches

I draw primarily from the following approaches:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, commonly called CBT-I, is a structured treatment designed specifically for chronic insomnia.

CBT-I helps identify and change the patterns that can keep sleep difficulties going. Depending on your needs, this may include adjusting time in bed, strengthening your sleep rhythm, changing how you respond when you cannot sleep, and addressing thoughts or behaviours that increase sleep-related pressure.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia, or ACT-I, can be especially helpful when sleep has become a source of fear, frustration, or constant effort.

ACT-I does not ask you to like difficult nights or give up on improving your sleep. It helps you respond more flexibly to uncomfortable thoughts and feelings so you can spend less time struggling with sleep and more time living according to what matters to you.

Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Approaches

I also use compassion- and mindfulness-based strategies to help you notice sleep-related thoughts and sensations without becoming as caught up in them.

These approaches can help reduce self-criticism, create more space around worry, and make difficult nights feel more manageable.

Therapy That Fits Your Life

There is no single sleep plan that works for everyone.

Your health, responsibilities, culture, family life, work schedule, past experiences, and personal values all matter. We will build a practical plan together, review what is and is not helping, and adjust it as we go.

My role is not to pressure you into following more rules. It is to help you understand your sleep, make informed changes, and rebuild trust in your ability to handle both good and difficult nights.

Is Sleep Therapy Right for You?

Sleep therapy may be a good fit when:

• Sleep problems have continued for several months

• You regularly struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep

• You feel anxious as bedtime approaches

• You spend much of the day thinking about sleep

• Your routines have become increasingly strict

• You avoid activities because you are worried about sleeping poorly

• Sleep tips and self-help strategies have not been enough

• Your sleep difficulties are affecting your mood, concentration, relationships, or quality of life

You do not need to wait until your sleep becomes unbearable before seeking support.

Ready to Get Started?

I offer secure virtual sleep therapy to adults across British Columbia and Ontario.

Book a complimentary 15-minute consultation to tell me what has been happening, ask questions about my approach, and explore whether working together feels like a good fit.