Katie Robins
I’m a psychiatric nurse practitioner who provides thoughtful, collaborative medication management for adults, with a particular focus on sleep and anxiety. I also work with depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and other mental health concerns. I’m especially interested in helping you understand the connection between sleep and mental health. Whether your mind won’t shut off at night, you wake frequently, or you’re exhausted despite spending enough time in bed, we’ll look beyond the symptom of “not sleeping” to understand what may be contributing. My approach combines psychiatric medication management with practical, evidence-based strategies, including CBT-I when appropriate. My goal is for you to feel heard, understand your treatment options, and have a plan designed around you—not a one-size-fits-all approach.
First session
Your first session is a chance for me to get to know you and understand what has been going on—especially how you’ve been sleeping and how it may be affecting the rest of your life. We’ll talk about your sleep patterns, mood, anxiety, energy, focus, health history, medications, and other factors that may be contributing to how you feel. If sleep is a primary concern, I’ll want to understand what happens from the time you get ready for bed until you wake up in the morning, as well as how you feel and function during the day. You’ll also have plenty of time to ask questions and tell me what you hope to change. By the end of our first visit, my goal is for you to have a clearer understanding of what may be contributing to your symptoms and a personalized treatment plan, including medication management and CBT-I strategies when appropriate. We’ll decide on the next steps together.
Strengths
One of my strengths is taking the time to listen carefully and look at the whole picture rather than focusing on a single symptom or diagnosis. I’m curious about how your sleep, mood, anxiety, attention, physical health, medications, and everyday life may be affecting one another. I also believe you should understand your care. I’ll explain what I’m thinking, why I’m making a recommendation, and what your options are. I welcome questions and want you to feel comfortable telling me when something isn’t working or when you have concerns. My approach is warm, practical, and collaborative. I bring both psychiatric expertise and a strong nursing perspective to our work together, with particular attention to sleep and its connection to mental health. My goal is for you to feel heard and understood—and to leave our sessions with a clear plan for moving forward.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who is tired of being tired. You may have trouble falling asleep because your mind won’t shut off, wake during the night and struggle to get back to sleep, or wake in the morning feeling like you never really rested. You may have started worrying about sleep itself—or noticed that poor sleep is affecting your mood, anxiety, focus, energy, or ability to function during the day. I especially enjoy working with people who want to understand why they aren’t sleeping well, rather than simply accepting poor sleep as something they have to live with. We’ll look at the whole picture, including sleep patterns, mental and physical health, medications, daily habits, and other factors that may be contributing. Together, we’ll develop an individualized plan that may include medication management and CBT-I strategies, with the goal of helping you sleep better, function better during the day, and feel more like yourself again.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) to help you understand and change the patterns that may be keeping you from getting the sleep you need. Together, we’ll look at your sleep habits, routines, thoughts about sleep, and other factors that may be contributing to difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking earlier than you want. We’ll use practical, evidence-based strategies to help strengthen your natural sleep patterns and reduce the worry and frustration that can develop when sleep becomes a struggle. My approach is collaborative and individualized—we’ll work together to find strategies that fit your life and help you build a healthier, more confident relationship with sleep.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I incorporate skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help you manage intense emotions, cope with stress, and respond more effectively when you feel overwhelmed. We may work on practical strategies for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and improving communication in relationships. Rather than expecting you to simply “control” difficult emotions, we’ll work on understanding them and building skills you can use in everyday life. I tailor these strategies to your individual needs and incorporate them alongside medication management as part of your overall treatment plan.
Trauma-Informed Care
I use a trauma-informed approach to help you feel safe, respected, and in control of your care. I recognize that past experiences can affect how you feel, how you respond to stress, how you sleep, and even how comfortable it feels to seek help. You can talk with me openly about difficult or painful experiences—I want you to know that it’s okay to tell me what has happened and how it has affected you. At the same time, you are in control of what you share, and you won’t be pressured to discuss something before you’re ready. We’ll work at a pace that feels comfortable, with an emphasis on trust, collaboration, and choice. My goal is to create a space where you feel heard and understood, and where you can take an active role in decisions about your treatment.
Motivational Interviewing
I use Motivational Interviewing to help you explore changes you may be considering without pressure or judgment. It’s normal to have mixed feelings about change—even when part of you knows that something isn’t working the way you want it to. Rather than telling you what you “should” do, I’ll help you clarify what matters to you, explore what may be getting in the way, and identify changes that feel realistic and meaningful. Whether we’re talking about sleep habits, medications, substance use, health behaviors, or other concerns, my role is to listen, understand your perspective, and help you move toward the goals you choose for yourself.
Location
Virtual sessions
Identifies as
Top specialties
Other specialties
Serves
Licensed in
- AlaskaLicense 198951
- FloridaLicense TPAN2377
- OregonLicense 200450055NP
- WashingtonLicense ARNP.AP.61330389-NP