Meet Hafina
Are You a High-Achiever
Who's Quietly Exhausted?
You hold yourself to a high standard… at work, in relationships, in everything. From the outside, your life looks together. But inside, the anxiety won't quiet down, the low mood is harder to shake than it used to be, and sleep feels like something that happens to other people.
You've probably tried to manage it on your own. And you're good at managing. But managing isn't the same as actually feeling better and somewhere along the way, you've started to wonder if this is just how it has to be.
It doesn't. And you don't have to figure it out alone.
Meet Hafina Allen, LCSW
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board-Certified Telemental Health Provider with more than 20 years of clinical and research experience in mental health. I specialize in anxiety, depression, and insomnia for adults who hold themselves to a high standard, the kind of people who appear fine on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside.
My approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based methods, primarily Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). That means you'll get both a supportive space and real, practical tools you can actually use between sessions.
I work entirely via telehealth, which means wherever you are in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, or North Dakota, quality therapy is only a click away.
My Approach: Practical, Personalized, and Evidence-Based
I believe therapy should do more than give you a space to talk. It should give you tools, clarity, and a real sense of forward movement.
My style is flexible by design. No two people experience anxiety, depression, or insomnia in exactly the same way, so no two treatment plans look exactly the same either. Depending on what you're dealing with and how you work best, we might focus on short-term, targeted work (especially for insomnia or specific anxiety concerns) or longer-term support for ongoing depression and the patterns that keep it in place.
What I specialize in:
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Anxiety & perfectionism
For the overthinker who can't quiet their mind, and the person whose standards have become quietly exhausting. CBT helps you identify what's driving the anxiety and build a different relationship with it.
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Depression & low mood
When motivation is gone, joy feels out of reach, and you're going through the motions without knowing why. Therapy won't just help you cope it will help you actually feel better.
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Insomnia & sleep problems
When your body is exhausted but your mind won't stop. CBT-I is the gold-standard, non-medication treatment for chronic insomnia, recommended above sleep medication by the American College of Physicians.
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Panic disorder
When panic attacks have started to shape your world, what you avoid, where you won't go, what you brace for. CBT helps you understand the cycle and break it, systematically.
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OCD
When the doubt won't let go no matter how much you reason with it. I specialize in Inference-Based CBT (I-CBT), an evidence-based approach that targets the reasoning behind the obsession, not just the anxiety it creates.
Why I Do This Work:
I didn't start my career in therapy. I spent years in event planning, where I had a front-row seat to some of my clients' biggest life moments, all the joy, and all the stress that came with them. What I found myself drawn to, again and again, was helping people navigate those moments. Not just the logistics. The actual human experience of it.
That realization led me to pursue my Master of Social Work from New York University's Silver School of Social Work, and I haven't stopped learning since. Over the past two decades, I've worked in psychiatric emergency rooms, inpatient behavioral health units, mental health shelters, clinics, and assisted living facilities, alongside my private practice. I've supported people navigating everything from insomnia and ADHD to persistent mental illness, brain injury rehabilitation, and everything in between.
What that breadth of experience has given me is a deep understanding of people and a genuine respect for the courage it takes to ask for help.
Who I Work With:
You might be a good fit if you:
Are a high-achiever who appears fine on the outside but is quietly struggling
Want a therapist who is warm but also practical and direct
Are exhausted by anxiety, low mood, sleepless nights… or all three
Are ready to do the work, not just talk about doing the work
Value flexibility and want therapy that fits your busy life
Are an adult located in NY, NJ, FL, CT, IL, or ND
A Little About Me Outside the Office
When I'm not working, you'll likely find me in my garden, doting on my pets, or settled into a cozy Italian restaurant. I'll never turn down a trip to the Met, where I can get lost for hours. And for my fellow book lovers, the non-negotiable when we bought our home was enough room for all our books. I'm also always planning my next retreat to the Adirondacks.
Taking the First Step Is the Hardest Part
You don't have to have it all figured out before reaching out. A free 15-minute consultation is just a conversation, no pressure, no commitment. We'll talk briefly about what's going on and whether working together feels like the right fit.
Ready when you are.