Our Blog: Upward Alabama

The Pill, the Patch, and Your Sleep: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Hormonal Contraceptives and Sleep Health

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Behavioral Sleep Medicine CBT-I Insomnia

Posted: July 18, 2026

A newly published systematic review in Sleep Medicine Reviews — one of the most prestigious journals in the field — has brought into focus something that has been quietly under-researched for decades: hormonal contraceptives, one of the most widely-used medications in the world, appear to meaningfully influence how women sleep. And yet, most women have never been told this, and most healthcare providers haven’t been trained to ask. This post is about changing that conversation.

Pure O(CD)--When Your Mind Will Not Stop: A Guide to Understanding OCD and Specialized Care

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

OCD

Anxiety Treatment

Posted: June 14, 2026

Mental compulsions are one of the most misunderstood and under-diagnosed features of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Often individuals with mental rituals are misdiagnosed, undertreated, or told that what they are doing — trying to think their way out of anxiety — is actually the right approach. The skill of learning to challenge thoughts is standard practice in many therapies and is effective in many disorders. In OCD, it is not. And understanding why is the first step toward real relief.

Why Sleep During Pregnancy Matters More Than You Think (And What You Can Actually Do About It)

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Insomnia Treatment CBT-I Pregnancy Perinatal Health Postpartum Health

Posted: May 12, 2026

You are growing a human. You are exhausted. And yet — somehow — you cannot sleep. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Sleep disturbances affect 75% of pregnant people, peaking in the third trimester. Despite being incredibly common, poor sleep during pregnancy is often brushed off as “just part of it.” But the science tells a different story: sleep health during pregnancy is a serious maternal health issue — one that is treatable, and worth taking seriously.

Healers Need Healing, Too: Why therapists carry unaddressed trauma, why that silence is dangerous, and how to find the right care — privately, professionally, and without compromise.

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Healthcare Providers Therapy for Therapists

Posted: April 28, 2026

There is a quiet irony at the heart of the mental health profession. Therapists spend their careers holding space for others’ pain — sitting in the room with grief, abuse, violence, addiction, loss, and despair, session after session, year after year. They are trained to normalize help-seeking, to challenge shame around vulnerability, and to advocate loudly for the healing power of therapy. Yet when it comes to their own trauma, an uncomfortable truth persists: far too many therapists never go. This is not a judgment. It is a pattern rooted in a complex web of professional identity, fears about confidentiality, concerns about appearing impaired, and the exhausting emotional labor that leaves little room for self-reflection. But it is a pattern with real consequences — for therapists themselves, for the clients they serve, and for the broader culture of mental health care. If we believe therapy works — and we do — then therapists must be its most committed practitioners, not its most reluctant patients.