Science-backed sleep care,
shaped around you
Your nervous system learned to survive. Now it can learn to rest. The Sleep & Healing Clinic offers specialized behavioral sleep medicine grounded in science — and in you.
If any of these sound like you — you’re in the right place.
Two doors into the clinic
For referring providers
- Your patient’s mental health, nervous system dysregulation, or medical history is disrupting their sleep — and complicating their treatment
- You need a trusted behavioral sleep medicine referral who understands complex psychological presentations, not just insomnia
- Science-backed sleep interventions tailored to your patient’s individual needs, delivered by a doctoral-level psychologist
- I am committed to warm, communicative, coordinated care — your patient will never feel like a handoff
For individuals seeking care
- You’re struggling to sleep — whether from anxiety, depression, stress, grief, chronic illness, neurodivergence, pain, or a nervous system that just won’t wind down
- Sleep medications aren’t working, feel like a bandage, or aren’t something you want to rely on long-term
- You’ve tried the sleep tips and nothing has stuck — you want to understand the why, not just the what
- You’re ready for a personalized approach that sees you as a whole person
Sleep as a pathway to regulation
Sleep is not a behavior to manage — it is a state your nervous system enters when it feels safe enough to let go. Every intervention at the Sleep & Healing Clinic is grounded in this understanding.
Nervous system first
We begin by understanding how your autonomic nervous system has adapted to your life. Sleep requires a shift into a state of safety. Learning to observe — rather than react to — your nervous system is where lasting change begins.
Science-backed, individually tailored
CBT-I is the first-line, science-backed treatment for chronic insomnia. At this clinic, it is taught through a nervous system lens — so you understand not just what to do, but why your body responds the way it does at night.
The whole person, in context
Anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, chronic stress, ADHD, Autism, chronic illness, life transitions — all of these shape how we sleep. We address your sleep within the full context of your life, building skills that generalize into greater capacity during the day.
Services
Every service is delivered through a nervous system-informed lens — because behavioral sleep science is most powerful when understood in the context of your whole body and your whole story. Services are available individually and in group format.
Insomnia Treatment (CBT-I)
The first-line, science-backed treatment for chronic insomnia — more effective long-term than medication. Taught here through a nervous system lens so you understand why the strategies work at a body level, not just a behavioral one.
Focused CBT-I (30-Minute Sessions)
A streamlined, behaviorally focused option for those with milder sleep concerns or who are looking for targeted, practical strategies. This shorter-session format concentrates on the core behavioral tools of CBT-I and is typically completed in 3–6 sessions.
Sleep-Related Anxiety & Overactive Mind
When the nervous system stays activated at night, sleep feels impossible no matter how tired you are. We work directly with the anxiety — the worry, the hypervigilance, the effortful trying — using cognitive, behavioral, and nervous system-based approaches.
Trauma History & Sleep
For many people, past overwhelming experiences — whether or not they use the word “trauma” — show up most clearly at night. The body stays on alert, the mind won’t quiet, and sleep feels unsafe. This work addresses the nervous system activation underneath the sleep difficulty, gently and at your pace.
Nightmares & Sleep Disturbances
Nightmares are often the nervous system’s way of continuing to process what felt too overwhelming during waking life. We address nightmare frequency and distress through structured, research-informed interventions delivered with nervous system sensitivity throughout.
CPAP & PAP Therapy Adjustment
Difficulty tolerating CPAP is often a nervous system response — not a willpower problem. We address it with graduated, nervous system-informed approaches that make compliance feel possible rather than forced.
Circadian Rhythm & Schedule Adjustment
When your internal clock is out of sync with the demands of your life, sleep suffers at both ends. We use behavioral and environmental strategies to gradually realign your sleep timing with your biology.
Sleep & Medical Condition Support
Medical conditions disrupt sleep in multiple directions — pain increases arousal, illness changes sleep architecture, and the weight of diagnosis compounds everything. We focus on behavioral adaptation and stabilization, in collaboration with your medical team.
Sleep Aid Titration Support
Discontinuing sleep aids without behavioral support sets most people up for rebound insomnia. We provide a structured, nervous system-informed approach to tapering — working alongside your prescribing provider.
Sleep Compression & Time-in-Bed Optimization
Spending more time in bed is a strategy that often backfires — it fragments sleep and reduces the body’s drive to rest. We use data-informed, structured approaches to consolidate your sleep and rebuild natural rhythms.
Healing in community
Nervous system regulation is fundamentally a relational process. Group work offers something individual therapy cannot: the lived experience of co-regulating with others who understand what it is to lie awake at night. In the group container, healing happens not just within you — but between you.
What we address
Sleep conditions
- Chronic insomnia & insomnia disorder
- Hypersomnolence
- Nightmares & sleep-related disturbances
- Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders
- CPAP & PAP desensitization and adherence
- Sleep compression & time-in-bed optimization
- Sleep aid titration support
- Sleep & medical condition adjustment
Nervous system & psychological concerns
- Anxiety disorders & overactive mind at night
- Depression-related sleep disturbance
- Trauma history & nervous system activation at night
- ADHD- & Autism-related sleep issues
- Grief, burnout & life transitions
- Chronic pain & sleep
- OCD-related sleep concerns
- Nervous system dysregulation
Specialized training you can trust
Referring a patient?
The Sleep & Healing Clinic accepts referrals from psychiatrists, primary care providers, therapists, sleep medicine physicians, and other healthcare providers. I am committed to warm, communicative, coordinated care — and to being a true partner in your patient’s treatment.
Accepting Aetna, Cigna, Carelon Behavioral Health, and Quest Behavioral Health (via Headway and Alma). Self-pay and sliding scale available.
Send a referral →Transparent pricing
BSM Evaluation (90 min)
Comprehensive initial evaluation of your sleep history, patterns, and the psychological and nervous system factors shaping your sleep.
Individual Session (55 min)
Ongoing individual therapy integrating behavioral sleep medicine, nervous system work, and the approaches best suited to you. Insurance accepted; session length may be 53 minutes per plan requirements.
Focused CBT-I Session (30 min)
A streamlined behavioral sleep session for mild to moderate insomnia. Concentrated on practical CBT-I strategies, typically completed in 3–6 sessions.
Group Session (90 min)
Per person, per session. The Rested & Regulated Group — 8-week program. Insurance accepted. See group offerings above for full details.
Available for qualifying patients
A sliding fee scale is available for those with financial need. Eligibility and availability can be discussed during your free 15-minute consultation call, at which time we will schedule your BSM Evaluation.
Accepted insurance plans
Via Headway Primary booking platform
- Aetna
- Carelon Behavioral Health
- Cigna
- Quest Behavioral Health
- Self-pay & sliding scale
Also via Alma
- Aetna
- Carelon Behavioral Health
- Cigna
Not accepted
- Medicare & AHCCCS not currently accepted
Meet Dr. Townsend
Behavioral Sleep Medicine · Nervous System-Centered Care · Serving Arizona
I founded the Sleep & Healing Clinic because I believe sleep is not a symptom to manage — it is a pathway into the body, and a doorway to healing. After years of clinical work with people navigating anxiety, depression, chronic stress, grief, and medical illness, I kept seeing the same pattern: when the nervous system doesn’t feel safe, sleep is one of the first things to go.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in Behavioral Sleep Medicine and a deep commitment to understanding each person’s sleep within the full context of their life and their nervous system. My work integrates CBT-I with polyvagal theory, Internal Family Systems, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, DBT skills, and somatic approaches — not as a fixed protocol, but as a flexible, person-centered toolkit.
I believe one of the most powerful shifts a person can make is learning to observe their nervous system rather than be governed by it. Sleep is a vulnerable state — the body only enters it when it feels safe enough to let go. Our work together builds that safety, one night at a time, and the skills generalize into the rest of your life.
Before founding the Sleep & Healing Clinic, I served as a psychologist at the VA Healthcare System, where I provided science-backed psychological care to veterans navigating PTSD, trauma, and some of the most complex sleep and mental health presentations in our field. That work shaped everything about how I practice: with directness, clinical depth, and genuine respect for the resilience it takes to seek care.
I am a founding member of the Sleep Psychology Collective — a collaborative of doctoral-level behavioral sleep specialists across Arizona — and I am committed to building a research foundation for this work so that what I develop in the clinic can one day contribute to the field.
Currently accepting new patients and provider referrals — book a consultation →
“Learning to regulate our sleep can teach us to regulate our lives. The skills we build at night — noticing, softening, trusting the body — generalize into greater capacity, connection, and presence during the day.”
Ready to begin?
Whether you’re a provider making a referral or an individual ready to understand your sleep in a new way — the first step is a free 15-minute consultation.
Request a free consultationLet’s connect
The Sleep & Healing Clinic is currently accepting new patients and provider referrals throughout Arizona. Not sure where to start? The free 15-minute consultation is the right first step.
For individuals
Begin with a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your sleep concerns and find out whether the Sleep & Healing Clinic is the right fit. Self-pay and sliding scale available on both platforms.
For referring providers
Send clinical records and referral information by secure fax. I respond within one business day and reach out to your patient directly to schedule. I welcome co-treatment relationships and am committed to being a communicative, reliable partner in your patient’s care.
Fax: (480) 447-0264
HIPAA-compliant secure fax · Received via iPlum
Phone: (602) 887-3227
Email: shaina.townsend@sleepandhealingclinic.com
Telehealth throughout Arizona · In-person coming soon
Join the group interest list
The Rested & Regulated Group — our nervous system-centered CBT-I group, integrating polyvagal regulation and somatic-informed approaches — is forming now. The first cohort begins Thursday, June 18th at 7:00 PM (Arizona Time) via telehealth. Enrollment is limited to 6–10 participants. Join the interest list to reserve your spot.
Join the interest list