Insomnia Therapy in Vancouver
and Across BC
Insomnia can feel like all of a sudden, your body is working against you.
Maybe you fall asleep only to wake up at 3 AM, mind racing. Maybe you dread bedtime because sleep feels like a battle. Maybe you’ve tried all the right things — melatonin, meditation, no screens before bed — and nothing seems to work. It’s not just exhaustion. It’s the anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, hopelessness and helplessness that comes along with it. I hear this come up a lot in my work as an insomnia therapist in Vancouver — how sleeplessness starts to feel like an urgent problem that needs fixing, or a demonstration of personal failure.
What many people don’t realize is that insomnia often stems from a learned fear of wakefulness itself—not just lifestyle or mental health factors. And ironically, the harder we try to fix sleep, the more elusive it becomes.
My approach is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps you shift your relationship with sleeplessness—not control or avoid it. That means learning to soften your stance toward being awake, letting go of rigid sleep efforts, and gently rewiring your brain’s fear around the bed and sleep.
When Sleep Strategies Don’t Work
If you're here, you've probably already done some research. You may have tried sleep hygiene, mindfulness apps, and maybe even CBT-I or sleep restriction all to no avail.
It may have helped a little. But for some, those approaches can feel rigid, performative, or even make things worse. You may end up bracing for bed, or trying to “do it right.” Sleep becomes something you chase instead of something that comes naturally.
That’s because insomnia isn’t just about sleep. It’s about the relationship you have with sleep.
Key Concepts in Insomnia Recovery
If you want to get a feel for how I support folks with insomnia, these blog posts go deeper into the core ideas behind my approach:
Befriending Wakefulness: Why learning to stop fighting nighttime wakefulness can shift everything.
Sleep Efforts: How trying harder and control often fuel the insomnia cycle—and what to do instead.
Why Sleep Hygiene Doesn’t Work: Why mainstream sleep advice often fails those with long-term insomnia.
Why You Have Insomnia (and How to Heal It): Why insomnia is driven by fear, not dysfunction — and how you can start shifting out of the cycle.
7 Steps to Take for Insomnia Recovery: A guide on how to navigating insomnia gently, without falling into the “fix it” trap.
5 Things Not to Tell Someone With Insomnia: A look at the invalidating (although often well-intentioned) advice people with insomnia often hear, and how their loved ones can better support them during their recovery process.
ACT Therapy for Insomnia
While CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the most well-known therapy for insomnia, I use a different approach. During my struggle with insomnia which lasted several years, I did not find relief with CBT. While it works for some, my recovery came once I discovered a different approach - Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT).
ACT for insomnia is a gentle, research-informed approach that focuses on shifting how you relate to the fear, frustration, and control strategies that insomnia creates.
This work isn’t about forcing sleep. It’s about learning how to befriend wakefulness, reduce the internal struggle, and create space for rest — without turning your life into a checklist of sleep rules.
ACT for insomnia can help you:
Step out of the “what if I don’t sleep” spiral
Feel more grounded and less reactive at night
Stop organizing your entire life around sleep
Reconnect with your values, not just your symptoms
Learn to trust your body’s natural ability to sleep again
Who I Work With
I offer insomnia therapy in Vancouver and across British Columbia, either in person or through secure video sessions.
This work may be a good fit if:
You’ve been dealing with chronic insomnia or sleep anxiety.
You’ve tried CBT-I or sleep hygiene and found it too rigid, harsh, or activating.
You’re a sensitive person, you’re neurodivergent, or you have a history of trauma.
You’re ready to stop fighting with your body so you can rest again.
💡 If you're outside of BC, I also offer insomnia coaching as a separate service. Learn more about coaching here.
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Yes — I offer in-person insomnia therapy in Vancouver, as well as online sessions for clients anywhere in BC. My approach is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is well-suited for chronic sleep issues, and also what worked for me when everything else didn’t (including CBT-I).
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In my sleep coaching I offer structured program and sessions that are focused on overcoming the problem of insomnia through psychoeducation, behavior change, and strategies. In therapy, there is space to explore the past, process trauma and explore deeper patterns. Because I’m a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in BC, I can provide insomnia therapy in Vancouver or across BC for clients who live here. If you are outside of BC and want support for insomnia, then I can support you through my insomnia coaching program.
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While I cannot guarantee results, many clients come to me after trying sleep hygiene, medications, or even CBT-I without success.
I focus on helping you change your relationship with sleep using Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), reduce fear around wakefulness, and build a sustainable, path toward rest.
Before finding ACT, I also had no success with other approaches to insomnia. -
No — I don’t use CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I). I use ACT for insomnia, a flexible approach that focuses on acceptance, changing your relationship to wakefulness, and addressing to the root of the problem, which is often anxiety about insomnia.
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If you’re in BC or Vancouver and have extended benefits, then there’s a very good chance that insomnia therapy will be covered by your benefits plan. Since every plan is different, you’ll have to confirm with them that registered clinical counsellors (RCCs) are covered, and the amount that you are covered for.
