Sleep Therapy FAQs

Working together 1:1, we’ll address the unique factors maintaining your difficulty sleeping, reduce sleep anxiety and explore practical tools & strategies to help you restore a healthy sleep pattern.

My 5 Pillars of Sleep concept outlines the key areas we focus on to improve sleep. We might spend more time on one pillar than another, depending on what is maintaining your trouble sleeping. The pillars are:

1. Knowledge: understanding sleep & debunking myths

2. Habits: healthy habits that support good sleep

3. Mind: tackling sleep anxiety, worry and managing stress

4. Body: getting the body into a sleep-ready state

5. Behaviour: strengthening your sleep and creating a strong association between the bed & sleep

To learn more about how sleep therapy can help you, click here to read a blog post I wrote about the topic: https://www.therapy-with-amy.com/blog/what-is-sleep-therapy-for-insomnia

My approach is integrative, as I draw on a variety of evidence-based therapies, primarily using:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy

My aim is to help you learn the tools & skills to support yourself and make long-term, sustainable improvements to your sleep.

We will work together to identify & address the factors maintaining your trouble sleeping and restore a healthy sleep pattern.

I offer compassionate & actionable support, encouraging a collaborative approach as we work towards your therapy goals together.

CBT-I stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, which is the recommended treatment for insomnia. Unlike medication, benefits persist beyond completion of therapy (NICE, 2024).

CBT-I is a structured, short-term approach that involves addressing the unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns that maintain chronic insomnia or poor sleep even when the initial trigger has passed. CBT-I also includes learning healthy sleep habits, sleep education, reducing sleep anxiety and rebuilding the association between the bed and sleep.

I use CBT-I along with other evidence-based therapeutic approaches, tailoring support to each client to help them feel calmer and sleep better.

ACT involves changing the relationship you have with sleep and combines acceptance & behavioural strategies.

Acceptance does not mean giving up and staying stuck. Instead, it’s about acknowledging the situation and being able to tolerate the discomfort you’ve been trying to avoid.

When you have trouble sleeping, you may find yourself overthinking, resisting unpleasant feelings or trying to control your sleep.

But paradoxically, by reducing resistance & control we create the conditions for sleep to occur naturally.

As a therapist, I share a variety of tools and techniques to help you build this skill.

Another key aspect of ACT is taking aligned action with your values.

ACT helps improve your quality of life and your ability to navigate discomfort, so you can sleep better and feel more present & fulfilled.

Yes, there is a lot of research showing that hypnotherapy is an effective form of psychological therapy and studies suggest that when integrated with CBT it is more effective than CBT alone for many people.

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about clinical hypnotherapy due to stage hypnosis, which has nothing to do with how I practise. I completely understand any scepticism towards hypnotherapy as I used to have this myself.

The Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy process is collaborative, in which I will guide you to use your imagination to evoke more helpful emotions and rehearse behaviour change. It involves relaxed, focussed attention and thinking along with ideas, which can help change how you think, feel & behave. It is similar to daydreaming or being engrossed in a film, and is relaxing and enjoyable.

It is completely safe and you will not be in a ‘trance’ or state of mind control. You cannot be made to do anything against your will and must want to accept suggested ideas and actively use your imagination to experience their effects.

I use hypnotherapy where I feel it would be most beneficial & with your consent. I often use similar tools to hypnotherapy, such as mental imagery & guided meditations too.

The areas I tend to support people with include:

• Poor Sleep & Insomnia

• General Anxiety & Worry

• Managing Stress & Overwhelm

• Sleep Anxiety

• Panic Attacks

• Relaxation

Sleep therapy is for you if you are committed to making sustainable improvements to your sleep. We’ll work together over several sessions to address the factors maintaining poor sleep, manage sleep anxiety and restore a healthy sleep pattern. Therapy is suitable for both recently developed sleep issues and chronic insomnia. You’ll get ongoing support from me and help overcoming any obstacles as you learn the tools & skills to sleep better, so you can feel calmer, more energised and fulfilled in work and life.

A Mini Sleep Session is for you if you want to prevent recent or occasional sleep difficulties from becoming an ongoing problem but feel confused and overwhelmed by all the sleep advice out there. It is a one-off, 90-minute session and the main focus is on sleep education, habits and practical tools you can integrate into daily life. After the session, you will receive a summary of what we discussed & any relevant resources, as well as one week of email support. This is a great option for you if you are motivated & open to implementing suggestions yourself following the session.

With both options, you will get 1:1 support tailored to your needs. The main difference is the level of support you receive. Additionally, the Mini Sleep Session is not for you if you’ve been struggling with poor sleep on several days a week for more than 3 months, or have a diagnosis of insomnia. You can read more about who a Mini Sleep Session is for here.

If you’re not sure which option is best for you, just get in touch and I can help.

The number of sessions needed depends on various factors, including what you are struggling with and your goals.

Generally, I recommend a block of 6 sessions, as this is the average number I find is needed for my clients to achieve their therapy goals.

Progress will be made faster with weekly sessions, but fortnightly sessions are also available.

All therapy sessions are online, so I can work with clients anywhere in the UK.

I am based near towns including Oxford & Witney, on the edge of the Cotswolds.

I trained with the UK College of Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy to gain my diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy. This is the main evidence-based hypnotherapy training in the UK and is approved by the British Psychological Society, indicating the high quality of training. I also have a First Class degree in Animal Behaviour and Welfare from Oxford Brookes University.

I have regular supervision and am committed to my continuing professional development. I am fully insured and registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register.

You can find out more about me and my qualifications here.

This is a free 15-minute informal chat, so that you can make sure you feel comfortable working with me and that I am the right therapist to help you.

You can also ask any questions you might have about the therapy process.

There is no obligation to book any sessions during the enquiry call. I’ll always give you time to think about whether it is the right decision for you.

You can book your free chat here.

During the initial session, we’ll go into more depth about what brings you to therapy.

I’ll ask you some questions, which will help us understand why you are struggling with poor sleep or anxiety and what is maintaining the problem. This helps inform the plan for subsequent sessions and allows me to tailor therapy to you. We’ll also create some goals, which will allow us to track progress along the way.

Therapy sessions are £75 per hour.

Sessions can be booked as a block of six (£450) or individually.

I recommend a block of six sessions as this is the average number I find is needed for my clients to make significant progress on their goals. Of course, everyone is unique and you are welcome to add further sessions as needed upon finishing a block of therapy sessions.

Fees are payable in advance of each session to confirm your booking.

A minimum of 24 hours notice is required to cancel or rearrange, or the full fee will be charged.