SAFE, EFFECTIVE HELP FOR INSOMNIA

Expert treatment for chronic insomnia in Illinois, Florida, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Find lasting, effective relief.

CBT-I is the gold-standard treatment for chronic insomnia

When you’ve been struggling to sleep, help can’t come fast enough. You’ve tried all the tips and tricks. Your doctor says there’s nothing wrong. But you’re still suffering and something is definitely NOT right. You’re ready to get to the bottom of this and start sleeping again. I’ve got you.

Nothing you’ve tried so far has worked long-term

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The internet is full of “sleep hygiene” suggestions. You’ve adjusted the thermostat, installed black out curtains, tried every white noise machine on the market. Maybe they’ve worked for a night or two. Or maybe they’ve just left you feeling even more frustrated when they don’t. It’s time to figure out a lasting solution that doesn’t involve a million contraptions and rigid routines.

You’re starting to worry about how the lack of sleep is impacting your overall health and well-being

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Good sleep is such an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. When sleep isn’t coming, you have a lot of time alone in the dark to worry about what’s happening to your body. Not to mention the way your daytime symptoms of irritability, brain fog, and fatigue are impacting your relationships and work. This is no way to keep going on. Something needs to change.

You’re in the right place.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an evidence-based, safe, and incredibly effective treatment for chronic insomnia. I can help guide you through the process so you can rest easy.

Carolyn Wagner, MA LCPC

Psychotherapist

What is CBT-I?

Occasional insomnia is a regular part of being human. We all have bad night or two of sleep here and there. But chronic insomnia is something different. Chronic insomnia is defined as three nights or more per week of difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or poor quality sleep for at least three months.

Many different things can cause that initial bout of insomnia and we aren’t exactly sure why it becomes a chronic issue for some people. But one thing is absolutely certain: it is NOT your fault and it IS treatable.

You are not broken. You aren’t doing sleep wrong. We simply give out a lot of really bad sleep advice that actually perpetuates the problem for people with chronic insomnia. This is a distinct problem whose solutions are not the typical “sleep hygiene” routine.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can help you learn to work with your body’s sleep system to restore restful sleep. We will work to understand what exactly is going wrong with your sleep currently using sleep diaries. Based upon this information, we will work together to devise a realistic action plan to reverse those issues.

Once we get you back on track, we will chart a path forward back to “normal life” after treatment is over so you can maintain and expand upon the gains you made. Unlike sleep medications, the positive outcomes endure long after active treatment is complete.

I will be with you the whole way. Helping you implement your plan, open to all of your thoughts and feelings, no matter how overwhelming they may seem right now. I’ve been in your shoes. I get it.

1

Free 30-Minute Consultation

During our consultation, I will gather some background information about what you’ve been experiencing with sleep, do a brief screening to make sure CBT-I would be a safe and effective treatment for you, discuss what treatment would look like for you specifically, and answer any questions you may have.

2

Intake and Assessment

A 60-minute intake and assessment session to determine the specific targets for your customized sleep plan. We will review the sleep diary given to you during your consultation to pinpoint what is perpetuating your insomnia. You will leave with a plan that tells you exactly what to do for the next two weeks.

3

Treatment Sessions 1-3

These sessions will begin two weeks after your intake session. Lasting 30-45 minutes each every two weeks, we will review your sleep diary to see how your body is responding to the plan we set. Together we will troubleshoot any issues that came up and start working on extending your sleep time as appropriate.

4

Treatment Session 4

During this final session, we will again review your sleep diary to see how your sleep has progressed over the course of treatment. We will discuss a relapse prevention plan and outline how you can begin to return to a more “normal” sleep life. You will leave treatment knowing how to keep the momentum going.

Imagine if you…

Understood exactly what your body needs to produce sleep

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There is so much information out there about sleep. Most of it is not evidence-based or accurate, it’s simply stories about random things that have worked for other people. Some of it is totally correct but not actually designed to work for the unique problem of chronic insomnia. And then some of it is actually causing your sleep to get worse. It’s not that people out there want to give bad advice, it’s just that there’s no way to create a general solution. In our work together, we will pin point exactly what YOUR body is asking for to get the rest you need.

Had a customized action plan that fits you and your life

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What works according to the data is useless if it isn’t realistic for your life. There is no one size fits all approach to chronic insomnia treatment. You can’t follow a generic plan that someone posts online. During each session, I will provide you with options to address the unique problems your body is experiencing. We will then work together to figure out how to tailor those suggestions into something that you can actually implement. And I’ll be available to you between sessions to help you trouble shoot any obstacles that pop up along the way.

Felt confident in your ability to sleep again

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Chronic insomnia is a 24-hour a day disorder. It doesn’t just cause poor sleep. It disrupts your days, relationships, perhaps worst of all, it can erode your confidence in yourself and your body to perform a basic human task. Individuals with chronic insomnia often experience comorbid anxiety and depression because this uncertainty becomes all-consuming. With CBT-I, you will understand exactly why your body is doing what it’s doing, know exactly what steps you need to take to get back in the driver’s seat for sleep, and restore your sense of peace.

Find the healing you’ve been seeking.

faqs

Other questions? I’ve got answers.

  • My office is wherever you are! I provide online therapy only. This super convenient setup means no commute time and easier access to the care you need. I am able to provide services to anyone located in the states of Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

  • CBT-I is designed for individuals with chronic insomnia (three nights or more each week of difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, or waking earlier than desired for three months of more).

    CBT-I works well for individuals who are also struggling with depression or trauma in addition to insomnia, and is a safe and effective treatment for most people. However, there are a few circumstances in which CBT-I would not be appropriate or safe. That’s why it’s important for us to have that initial consultation before beginning treatment.

  • CBT-I has been shown to be as effective (or sometimes more effective) than sleep medication alone. It also has greater durability, meaning the benefits you get from CBT-I last long after your treatment is done, whereas medications are only effective on the nights you take them.

    Additionally, many people find that over time their sleep medication becomes less effective or they experience side effects from them. Other people simply do not want to be on medication anymore or at all.

    It’s important to note that you do not have to stop taking your medication if you don’t want to: you can do CBT-I while also taking sleep meds. This can be really helpful for people who find the medication to not be fully effective.

  • Great question! Typically CBT-I involves an intake/assessment session and then four treatment sessions. Each of these is ideally scheduled two weeks apart. This schedule may be tweaked slightly depending on individual need.

  • Research has shown CBT-I to be effective in 70-80% of patients.

  • There is actually no particular population for whom CBT-I is officially off-limits. However, there are certain people that may not be best suited for it. For example. we need to be particularly cautious with individuals with bipolar disorder, but with modifications, CBT-I can still be safe and effective for them.

    I personally only work with adults age 25-65 who are comfortable with telehealth, including the use of a sleep diary app.

  • The initial 30 minute consultation is free. Following that, the intake and assessment session (which takes approximately an hour) is $200.

    The full course of CBT-I is then an additional four treatment sessions following the intake and assessment. The price for those four sessions, plus access to me for support between sessions via Voxer, is $1000 total.

    I do not participate as an in-network provider for any insurance plans. You are welcome to use your HSA/FSA account to cover the costs of our sessions. I am also happy to provide you with the paperwork needed to submit to your insurance company for potential out-of-network reimbursement.

  • The first step in the process is to schedule your free 30 minute consultation. During that time we will discuss your current sleep struggles, screen to make sure you are a good fit for CBT-I, and answer any questions you may have. If you decide at that time that you’d like to get started, we will schedule your intake/assessment session and four treatment sessions at that time. You can schedule the consultation here.

SCHEDULE NOW

Use the calendar below to schedule your free 30-minute consultation to discuss your sleep concerns and find out if CBT-I is the right fit for you.