You're tired. And you're tired of being tired.
If you've been lying awake for months, watching the clock, running through tomorrow's list, willing yourself back to sleep and failing, you already know how much bad sleep costs you.
It's not just the exhaustion. It's the fog. The short fuse. The way everything feels harder than it should. You've probably tried things. Sleep hygiene tips, melatonin, going to bed earlier, staying up later to tire yourself out. Some of it helped a little. None of it fixed it.
CBT-I, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, is not another sleep tip. It's the treatment that actually addresses what's keeping the insomnia going.
What CBT-I actually is
CBT-I is a structured, evidence-based treatment developed specifically for insomnia. It targets the thoughts and behaviors that are actively maintaining your sleep problem, not just the symptoms of a bad night.
The American College of Physicians recommends CBT-I as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, before medication. The research supporting it spans more than 30 years and shows consistent effectiveness, including for people who have other diagnoses they believe are contributing to poor sleep.
This is not a wellness approach or a relaxation program. It is a targeted clinical treatment with a clear protocol.
What you might be carrying
- You can't fall asleep, stay asleep, or both. And it's been going on long enough that you've stopped expecting to sleep well.
- You dread going to bed because you already know what's coming. The lying there, the watching the clock, the mind that won't quiet down.
- Your whole day is organized around your sleep, or lack of it. It's starting to feel like a problem you cannot solve.
- You're exhausted during the day but wired at night, and nothing about that makes sense to you.
What starts to shift
Most people who struggle with chronic insomnia have developed patterns that made sense at the time but are now actively working against sleep. CBT-I addresses those patterns directly.
What clients tend to notice first is that the relationship with sleep starts to change before the sleep itself does. The dread around bedtime loosens. The hypervigilance about whether you're sleeping, which ironically keeps you from sleeping, starts to ease.
Then, typically, the sleep itself improves.
How I work with you
My training in CBT-I means we work with the full protocol, tailored to your specific pattern.
That includes:
- Sleep restriction to rebuild your body's sleep drive
- Stimulus control to re-associate your bed with sleep rather than wakefulness
- Cognitive restructuring to address the thought patterns that are making things worse
- Relaxation techniques where appropriate
We track your sleep throughout using a sleep log you keep between sessions. The work is driven by that data, not just how you feel on a given day. Sessions are 55 minutes. CBT-I is generally shorter-term than open-ended therapy, and most people see meaningful progress within a focused course of treatment.
Fees and insurance
The initial 55-minute session is $175. Ongoing sessions are $150.
I am in-network with:
- Harvard Pilgrim
- United Healthcare
- United Behavioral Health
- Optum
- Maine Community Health Options
Superbills are available for out-of-network reimbursement.
Who this is a good fit for
Adults dealing with chronic insomnia who want a treatment approach rather than another tip.
This is appropriate whether insomnia is your only concern or one of several things you're managing. It's also a good fit if you've been relying on sleep medication and want to explore a non-medication path, or if medication hasn't fully resolved the problem.
This is not the right fit if you're looking for general sleep wellness guidance or a one-session fix. CBT-I requires consistency and engagement between sessions. The sleep log is not optional.
This is available in-person in Portland, ME and online.
FAQs
If you're not sure whether CBT-I is the right fit for what you're dealing with, I offer a free 10 to 15 minute phone consultation.