Getting started.

After reading through the information on this page, please complete the enquiry form below. I will review your information within 2 - 5 working days.

I will get in touch to speak further and make sure we are a good fit for your needs. You can also ask any questions to feel confident and informed going forward.

Before your initial appointment, please complete your required forms and (if you wish to claim medicare rebates) attend your GP for a Mental Health Care Plan.

CLINIC ENQUIRY

CBT-I is the leading, evidence-based treatment for insomnia, proven to be more effective than medications in the long term. It offers lasting solutions by addressing the root causes of sleep difficulties.

My primary focus is on sleep-related problems, as there is a shortage of psychologists who specialise in treating insomnia and other sleep disorders with evidence-based approaches. However, I recognise that sleep difficulties often arise in the context of other challenges such as anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, parenting young children, and health problems. I warmly welcome clients seeking support for these issues, even if sleep is not their main concern. I have extensive additional experience in the following areas:

Perinatal psychology and parenting support: Clinical support for those anywhere in the parenting journey. I am a trained Circle of Security facilitator, which is a reflective program that helps parents understand and respond to their children’s emotional needs, fostering secure and trusting relationships.

Chronic health problems. I also provide psychological care for people managing chronic health problems like chronic pain, dizziness, gastrointestinal disorders, and neurological conditions.

Treatment areas

What to expect.

Your first session (90 minutes) will involve a thorough interview to understand your sleep, mental health and physical health. I will also ask you to complete a sleep diary for at least 7 days, so I can examine your sleeping patterns over time. With this information together, we will come up with a treatment plan. This may involve referral to other health professionals to address underlying medical problems or more pressing psychological difficulties. This plan will be shared in your second session, and we’ll get started. Subsequent sessions are 50 minutes in length and involve a mix of learning helpful information, developing new skills, reflecting on practice, and providing support as you work toward your goals.

Individual therapy

Circa Sleep is currently operating as a Telehealth only practice, and we accept referrals from anywhere in Australia. We will be opening consulting rooms in early 2025. If you are seeking in-person support sooner, please get in touch and we can discuss this with you (including alternative referral options).

Group program outline:
Session 1: Understanding sleep and insomnia. Learn about normal sleep, common sleep misconceptions, and insomnia in more depth.
Session 2: Build healthy sleep habits. A quick refresher on sleep hygiene (because most people know this well) and learn how to break unhelpful habits that fuel insomnia.
Session 3: Improve sleep efficiency. Learn about behavioural techniques to improve sleep efficiency and consolidate fragmented sleep.
Session 4: De-arousal strategies (part 1). Learn cognitive strategies to reduce high arousal during the day and night.

Session 5: De-arousal strategies (part 2). Focus on relaxation techniques as well as balancing activity and rest during the day to support better sleep at night.

Session 6: Keeping good sleep going. Create a plan to keep sleep on track and confidently manage any future sleep problems.

Overview

Group therapy is an effective and supportive treatment option for people struggling with insomnia. It is well studied too: around half of all insomnia treatment studies are in groups, and those in group therapy improve to the same extent as those receiving individual support.

Insomnia also often feels quite isolating and lonely, so it can be comforting to join with others who are experiencing the same struggle.

Details: Sessions are 90-minutes and occur fortnightly across 12 weeks (six sessions in total). Group sizes are between 6 and 8 people.

Total cost: $720 ($120 per session). Partial payments of $60/week throughout the 12-week course are accepted.

Complete the clinic enquiry form below to find out course dates and further details.

Group therapy

Fees for initial, 90-minute appointments are $320. Fees for standard, 50-minute appointments are $280.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, please mention this when you enquire about our services. If you have a valid Mental Health Care Plan from your General Practitioner or Psychiatrist, you are entitled to a rebate of $141.85. This means that, for a standard appointment, you will be out of pocket $138.15 (this is the appointment fee minus the rebate). If you are covered by private health insurance, please enquire with your insurance provider about your eligibility.
It is important you give us as much notice as possible if you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment. This helps us to fill your appointment spot with somebody on our waiting list. If you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment, you will be charged your full session fee.
It’s common for people to try sleep medications before seeking psychological support. Many clients are keen to reduce or eliminate their reliance on these medications altogether. Research and expert opinion suggests that learning new strategies and skills to improve insomnia should happen before a medically-supervised medication taper. This way, you have some improved confidence and skills to manage as you gradually reduce medications.

Any changes to medications should be done under the supervision of a medical professional. Your GP or specialist will guide you through any adjustments to ensure your safety, and I am happy to also support you along the way.
If you are a parent of a young baby, you have probably seen individuals offer services in sleep coaching or consulting, to help your baby achieve consolidated sleep overnight. While most of these people are helpful and act with integrity, this is an unregulated industry.

Through personal and professional experience as a mum, sleep expert, and perinatal psychologist, I can provide ongoing support for families navigating this complicated and difficult period. I view these struggles through the lens of the family system rather than a singular focus on the baby. This includes things like parental coping, beliefs and values, family resources and support, and infant temperament.

There is certainly no one-size-fits-all approach (if there was, people would not feel totally befuddled by the hundreds of approaches and methods out there), and the only thing that can absolutely guarantee your baby will achieve more consolidated sleep is developmental maturation (i.e., they will grow up!). However, I can guide families through what is truly supported by evidence, what is biologically normal, and help them to enact strategies that promote the wellbeing of the whole family.
Circa Sleep is not a crisis service. If you are in a crisis, call 000 or any of these mental health crisis supports, which operate 24/7:

Lifeline (13 11 14)

NSW Mental Health Line (1800 011 511)

Beyond Blue (1300 224 636)

Parentline (1300 1300 52)
Your privacy is of utmost importance to us. We adhere to strict confidentiality and privacy policies in accordance with Australian law. All personal information is securely stored and only shared with your consent, unless required by law. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

FAQs