Are you tired of being tired?

You’re tired of hyper-analyzing your sleep, checking your app the moment you wake up to see how many hours you got last night, and then judging yourself for whatever the results are.

You’re hypercritical of your own body sensations. “Dangit, I can’t kick this headache; it’s because I didn’t sleep last night” and “I feel so foggy, I can’t think straight; this insomnia is killing me”.

Your patience is starting to wear thin. You notice your eyes feeling heavy throughout the day and think “everyone can tell I’m off my game” or “it’s impossible for me to work like this”.

Are you tired of questioning yourself?

Asking everyone else’s opinion because you don’t trust your own?

It must be getting exhausting, the constant circles of thought that tell you what’s going to go wrong today, tomorrow, next week, next year.

Your own brain is gas-lighting you, pretending it’s doing you a favor by telling you all the reasons you suck.

I know how discouraging it is to feel like you can’t control the basic functions of being a human. Sleeping, eating, thinking, working, socializing, are all fundamental human needs that you’re tired of working so hard for. 

You’re not crazy, and you’re not broken. In fact, if you’re here you’re right where you need to be.

I want you to know that you’re not alone, and there are tangible ways to create the LIFE you want to live and the YOU you want to be.

About Me

Savannah Hipes, LCSW

Sleep and Anxiety Therapist in Orlando, Florida

I know exactly how to help.

It’s thrilling for me to hear your story knowing how dramatically different things will soon be for you.

  • Are tired of being tired

  • Have been exhausted long enough to finally try something different

  • Are willing to put in the effort if they could just find something they know will work

I get excited to work with people who . . .

 Personal Values That Make Me Different

Connection and Fun:

My ability to connect with you, see and know you deeply as a person with unique biology and unique experiences makes me able to tailor our work to your specific needs. Feeling seen and connected also means we can have a good time together throughout the process, even when the changes we’re working on are hard.

Assertiveness:

I’m known by friends and family to say exactly what I mean in a fairly forward way, and I hate sugar-coating. This means our work can move faster because we’re not tip-toeing, and I can call it out when something important is going unnoticed. Treatment with me is direct and active. Whether we’re using your sleep data to adjust your bedtime and waketime, or practicing verbally disagreeing with a coworker, you’ll be really clear on our goals, strategy, and why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Responsibility:

I hold myself to a high degree of professional responsibility. This means that I care about only using methods I know are proven to be effective, and constantly seeking ways to improve my work through research, study, supervision, and ongoing training. If something isn’t working for you, rest assured I’ll be up at night strategizing until we find success. 

Collaboration and Curiosity:

I’m fascinated by the brain, mind, and body, and consider my work at its core to be a collection of collaborative experiments you and I use to learn what works and what doesn’t work for your unique physiology. It’s important to me that we’re equal partners in our work, and that your word holds as much value as mine. I’m not going to give my opinion or present my perspective as “right”, but help us discover together what is right for you. I’ll give you as much information, scientific background, and techniques as possible that could work for you, and I’ll explain why I think certain things will work. However, I truly believe that you are the expert on you. My job is to help you develop that expertise so you can trust and rely on your own wisdom.

Let’s Become Experts on You.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy works for a variety of problems.

Here are a few of the most common issues I use it with:

  • Insomnia

  • Nightmares

  • Anxiety (sleep anxiety, social anxiety, phobias)

  • Trauma

  • Eating Disorders

My Approach

I use a Cognitive Behavioral approach to therapy. 

Cognitive means mental processes like thinking. The word cognitive refers to everything that goes on in your mind including dreams, memories, images, thoughts, and attention.

Behavior refers to everything that you do. This includes what you say, how you try to solve problems, how you act, and avoidance. Behavior refers to both action and inaction; for example, biting your tongue instead of speaking your mind is still a behavior, even though you are trying not to do something.

Using CBT means that together we will learn how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all impact each other, and how they are working (or not working) for you right now. Then we’ll practice new ways of thinking, responding to physical sensations, and taking action.

Professional Background

  • Masters of Social Work, Florida State University

  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Florida and New York

  • Post-Graduate Interprofessional Fellow with the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System

  • Trained in CBT for Insomnia, CBT for Nightmares, Cognitive Processing Therapy for Trauma, CBT for ARFID, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders

  • Public Speaking on Sleep and Eating Disorders, Sleep and Aging, Sleep and Anxiety, Insomnia in the Tech Industry, Sleep and Nightmares

I’m excited to partner with you!