Danielle Garay, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist who focuses on sleep medicine for children, adolescents, and young adults. She treats patients with a range of sleep disorders and difficulties, including trouble falling or staying asleep, irregular sleep schedules, and sleep problems related to medical or emotional conditions.
“My primary goal is to help each child sleep better within the life they are already living,” she says. “I am not here to impose a one-size-fits-all agenda—I am here to understand what matters to your family and to help you achieve your own version of success. I also know that talking about sleep can feel vulnerable, and sometimes stressful. I want every family who comes to see me to feel that this is a nonjudgmental space where we can explore what better sleep looks like for them, together.”
Dr. Garay uses evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, a structured form of talk therapy that helps patients change thoughts and behaviors that interfere with sleep. Her approach centers on understanding each child’s daily routines, family life, and stressors so she can tailor a plan that is realistic and sustainable. She works closely with patients and their families to set clear goals, build healthy sleep habits, and support long-term success.
As an assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Garay is dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical and psychology trainees who are interested in pediatric psychology and sleep medicine. She shares her clinical experience to help the next generation of providers better recognize and treat sleep disorders in young people.
“Sleep is one of the most central yet overlooked pillars of health, and that tension is part of what drew me to this field,” she explains. “It touches nearly every area of functioning—mood, learning, behavior, physical health, and more. It is always such a pleasure to watch how, as a child's sleep improves, so many other areas of their life flourish alongside it. It is a specialty where the work we do together can be meaningful and long-lasting.
“I also deeply value education for the new waves of medical and mental health providers. Sleep remains an underemphasized facet of health in medical and psychology training, and I am passionate about changing that. I want the next generation of clinicians to understand that small changes in sleep can amount to big differences in a child's overall well-being.”
Dr. Garay earned her PhD in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University. She completed an internship and a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, in affiliation with the University of Southern California.
