Meet Jessica Fink, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Specialist
I believe sleep deserves its own treatment.
As a Behavioral Sleep Medicine provider and sleep specialist, I help adults throughout Texas understand what's interfering with healthy sleep and develop practical, evidence-based strategies for improvement.
I specialize in insomnia, nightmares, narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and PAP/CPAP adherence challenges.
Why Sleep?
Throughout my career, I kept running into the same problem: sleep.
Whether someone came to therapy for anxiety, depression, trauma, chronic pain, or something else entirely, disrupted sleep was often part of the picture. And in many cases, it was difficult—sometimes nearly impossible—to make meaningful progress without addressing sleep directly.
When your sleep is suffering, everything feels harder. Mood, concentration, energy, relationships, physical health, and quality of life can all be affected.
Early in my private practice, I became interested in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and decided to pursue training in it. What started as an interest quickly became one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
As I worked with more people experiencing insomnia, I discovered something important: when you open your door to insomnia, you open your door to all kinds of sleep disorders.
Sometimes what looks like insomnia is actually a circadian rhythm disorder. Sleep apnea and insomnia often occur together and can complicate one another. Nightmares can interfere with sleep in significant ways. Excessive daytime sleepiness may point to narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia rather than depression alone.
The deeper I went into behavioral sleep medicine and sleep disorder treatment, the more I realized how interconnected these conditions are—and how important it is to understand the differences so treatment can be tailored appropriately.
One of the things I love most about behavioral sleep medicine is that it combines two things I value deeply: helping people solve real-world problems and using approaches grounded in science. I'm drawn to structured, evidence-based treatments that help us understand what's happening and provide a clear path forward.
There is a longstanding belief that sleep problems are always secondary to something else—that if you treat the depression, anxiety, trauma, or pain, the sleep issue will simply resolve itself. Sometimes that's true. But often it isn't.
Sleep disorders can take on a life of their own and require targeted treatment. And when sleep improves, people often notice benefits that extend far beyond the bedroom. Their mood improves. Their energy improves. They feel more like themselves again.
That's what continues to make this work so meaningful to me.
What It's Like to Work With Me
People often come to me after they've already tried a lot of things.
They've read the articles. They've listened to the podcasts. They've worked hard to improve their sleep. Some have even been told that nothing more can be done.
One of my favorite parts of this work is helping people make sense of confusing or conflicting information and identify the factors that may be keeping them stuck.
I'm naturally curious and enjoy solving puzzles. Together, we'll work to understand what's happening, separate myths from evidence, and build a treatment plan that is tailored to your specific situation.
My style is collaborative, practical, and direct. I won't ask you to blindly trust a process or follow recommendations without understanding why they matter. I believe people do better when they understand what we're doing, why we're doing it, and how it connects to their goals.
Professional Training & Affiliations
Behavioral sleep medicine is a specialized field, and I believe ongoing learning is an important part of providing effective care.
In addition to my clinical experience, I have pursued specialized training in evidence-based behavioral treatments for sleep disorders, including:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Basic training with Dr. Colleen Carney and Dr. Meg Danfoth
Advanced training with Dr. Michael Perlis, Dr. Donn Posner, and Dr. Jason Ellis
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares (CBT-N)
Training and post-training consultation with Dr. Joanna Davis
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Hypersomnia (CBT-H)
Training and consultation with Dr. Jason Ong
I do monthly group consultation with Dr. Donn Posner and that is in part how I learned to treat circadian rhythm disorders and PAP adherence. The remainder of my training was either through the Society for Behavioral Sleep Medicine or the University of Arizona Sleep and Health Research Program.
I am a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM), professional organizations dedicated to advancing research, education, and evidence-based treatment for sleep disorders. I attend both organization’s conferences every year.
Because sleep science continues to evolve, I remain engaged in continuing education and professional consultation to stay current with emerging research and best practices.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S), I bring both a mental health and behavioral medicine perspective to my work. This allows me to address not only the sleep disorder itself, but also the broader factors that may be affecting sleep, health, and quality of life.
A Little Bit About Me (the human side)
Because my clients tend to be thoughtful, intellectual, and structured, it often helps them to know a little about who I am outside the therapy room.
I’ve always loved learning, and I genuinely appreciate structure and clarity—so if that’s how your mind works too, we’ll get along well.
My husband and I love to travel, but we have very different approaches to it. I like a detailed agenda. He once asked me to “stop planning every square inch of our vacation and leave time to just be.” We compromise… somewhat. (I still think planning works better.)
I also bring pop culture into therapy when it fits. The Golden Girls, 90s alternative rock, and musical theater are three of my favorite things, and references come up more often than you might expect—sometimes they help explain a concept far better than jargon ever could.
Ready to get started?
Whether you're struggling with insomnia, nightmares, excessive daytime sleepiness, a circadian rhythm disorder, or difficulties adjusting to PAP therapy, you don't have to figure it out on your own.
If you're wondering whether behavioral sleep medicine might be a good fit for your situation, I'd be happy to talk with you.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ask questions, learn more about my approach, and determine the next steps.