Hillary Samuels is a licensed social worker with a Masters degree in Social Work from NYU. She has over 15 years experience working with families with young children that have a variety of developmental and medical needs.
Over the years, Hillary has shifted her work to focus on supporting families improve the sleep habits of their children. Whether its for babies, toddlers or school age children, she has developed a knack for quickly getting families on track and on schedule. Her friends nicknamed her "the sleep guru" because Hillary always has answers to their questions regarding their children's sleeping issues and challenges. Hillary realized there is a great need to help families quickly and cost effectively get their kids back to sleep. She is here to help. Hillary has taken her social work background and knack for sleep training to the next level. HushByHillary offers services that include: in-home assessments, personalized sleep plans, 24/7 emotional support via phone, text or email and a guaranteed good nights sleep. HushByHillary and the family are in a partnership. The success of this partnership depends upon a 100% commitment to the plan devised. Since every child is unique, a specific time frame of success is difficult to pinpoint. Most clients achieve success in 1-3 weeks. |
What Hillary's sleeping clients are saying...
Peace in the Time of COVID
Due to a complex medical history my daughter started waking up in the middle of the night for hours at a time from 1 to almost 2 years old. Thinking I had tried everything (I hadn’t - I was that sleep deprived), I was running on empty and desperate for a change. I was in luck. My pediatrician sent me Hillary’s way. I will be forever grateful. I wasn’t even sure she would be working during this COVID-19 pandemic, but I was in luck. Hillary took her time in listening to my concerns and my daughter’s sleep issues and came up with an individualized comprehensive plan to get her sleeping through the night. I didn’t think it was possible. I decided to commit to her plan 100%. I was in complete disbelief. |
My daughter slept through the night by night 4! Hillary was available 24/7 (even during the middle of the night wake-ups). By my daughter’s 2nd birthday she had been sleeping through the night for almost 2 weeks, and has continued to do so. We have all been able to sleep again! Hillary’s compassionate nature and professionalism during such a difficult time in our lives will never be forgotten. Please don’t hesitate and reach out to Hillary ASAP! I only wish I had found her sooner.
Marissa L.
Marissa L.
8 Month Old off to a Great Start
Hillary was such a big help when I was sleep training my son. He was 8 months old, getting up 2 to 3 times a night, and still had to be bounced to sleep on a yoga ball. He would only take a 20 minute nap after it took me an hour to get him to sleep. It wasn't easy but Hillary's detailed directions and support through the process got me through it. My son now puts himself to sleep and takes a 2 hour nap during the day and sleeps 9 hours straight at night. I don't know how I would have done it without her help. -Liz V. |
Poetic with Children
I have had the pleasure to know Hillary for over eight years and in that time I have seen just how intelligent, task-oriented, professional and results-driven of a person she is. She has a way with children that is almost poetic and inspiring to watch and she helps to educate parents. Hillary is honest, trustworthy, and gives her very best with every client she works with. She is extremely enthusiastic about her work and every client feels her enthusiasm which helps to motivate them and boost their confidence about their ability to learn. I am honored to know Hillary and would recommend her to all my friends, family and patients! -Dr. Matt Singer, Holistic Chiropractor |
My Hanukkah Miracle – She Finally Slept for 8 hours a Night
Hillary is a truly skilled sleep therapist. I cannot thank her enough! I texted Hillary one morning after another sleepless night with my 6 year old daughter. From that point on, she put on her clinical social worker and sleep therapist hat – and enrolled me in her unique process. It started like this - “Dear Sleep Therapist…Help!! My six year old has been waking up, screaming her head off, every f’in night!!!” Normally, a near perfect sleeper, we had been struggling with our daughter waking up in the middle of the night on and off for about 6 months. |
Although she went to sleep easily and at a reasonable time, she was waking up several times throughout the night - yelling from her bed for anything that would get our attention – “my blanket fell”, “my teddy fell”, “I need water”, “I hear a noise”, “I see a spider”, “I’m scared”. The excuses were endless. My husband and I jumped out of bed and did whatever we could to satisfy her every need just to keep the peace and quiet in the middle of the night, while also not waking our sleeping son.
Most recently she also started expressing new fears about things such as burglars, intruders, ghost figures and death. Of course, all of her fears were exacerbated at night and started to mix in with her habitual waking. Habitual waking, daylight savings time, fear and 6-year old manipulation - It was a recipe for disaster! Hillary was able to help us tackle all parts of the problem - responding to her fears of real life scary things, adjusting her sleep clock, all while keeping her control and manipulation in check.
For 21 days, Hillary gave us clear direction and immediate steps to get our daughter back on track. On the first day, she provided quick feedback on a new reward chart and advised me on a middle of the night strategy. It was beyond difficult. The 3 weeks proved to be longer than expected and a real roller coaster – several nights of progress, but always with a step back. Hillary’s persistence and on-going support was invaluable. We had daily text chats and sometimes phone conversations – reviewing what happened at night and planning for the next night. Before bed time, I often received a pep talk via text.
We worked together to come up with a plan that worked for my family – but always with the consistency that Hillary constantly reminded us was necessary. When I deviated – she let me know! Hillary saved our sanity. Hillary is exactly what you need in a sleep therapist. She is CLEAR, CONSISTENT, POSITIVE and FIRM. She was amazing in her technique for helping us get our 6 year old back on track to her good old sleep habits. If you are having sleep issues with your child at any age – call Hillary!
-Lauren S.
Most recently she also started expressing new fears about things such as burglars, intruders, ghost figures and death. Of course, all of her fears were exacerbated at night and started to mix in with her habitual waking. Habitual waking, daylight savings time, fear and 6-year old manipulation - It was a recipe for disaster! Hillary was able to help us tackle all parts of the problem - responding to her fears of real life scary things, adjusting her sleep clock, all while keeping her control and manipulation in check.
For 21 days, Hillary gave us clear direction and immediate steps to get our daughter back on track. On the first day, she provided quick feedback on a new reward chart and advised me on a middle of the night strategy. It was beyond difficult. The 3 weeks proved to be longer than expected and a real roller coaster – several nights of progress, but always with a step back. Hillary’s persistence and on-going support was invaluable. We had daily text chats and sometimes phone conversations – reviewing what happened at night and planning for the next night. Before bed time, I often received a pep talk via text.
We worked together to come up with a plan that worked for my family – but always with the consistency that Hillary constantly reminded us was necessary. When I deviated – she let me know! Hillary saved our sanity. Hillary is exactly what you need in a sleep therapist. She is CLEAR, CONSISTENT, POSITIVE and FIRM. She was amazing in her technique for helping us get our 6 year old back on track to her good old sleep habits. If you are having sleep issues with your child at any age – call Hillary!
-Lauren S.
Getting it Right The Second Time Around
Hillary is a one of a kind, no nonsense, tell it like it is, true to her word sleep specialist! Being a mother of two and probably (no definitely) not sleep training my first born the correct way, I looked to Hillary for advice on training for my second born. The dreaded bedtime routine haunted me and truly made me not want to spend that precious quiet time before bed, when all the day's worries fade away and memories of sweet bedtime moments happen, with my soon to be newborn. |
After three years of holding, rocking and laying with my son, I was stressed. Many long nights of trying to gingerly lay that finally quiet sleeping baby into his crib, only to tip toe out of the room to hear that miserable cry start all over again. I swore this time I would do it the right way. Baby number two arrived and by her second week in this world I was eager to start on the right track and made the call. I called Hillary and begged her to share her "sleep secrets". The secrets that I could never before fathom making part of my life and becoming so "sleep strict" and "tied down" to a routine. She, as any friend would, talked me off my ledge, told me it was a little too early, but she would be there for me when it was time!
True to her word, about four months later, a few gradual adjustments and with loads of support, I became that mom that could lay her sweet baby in her crib smiling up at me and know that she was happy and able to soothe herself into blissful rest. Whether it was nap time or time for that last kiss at night, I now looked forward to the sweet alone moments mom and baby share before bed. My daughter loved time in her crib, was on a schedule where she looked forward to "nappy time" and I was a happy mom that had some free time to do what I needed to do. A true life adjustment with help from someone who completely know her stuff!!! So in case I never told you... THANK YOU!
-Kathleen S.
True to her word, about four months later, a few gradual adjustments and with loads of support, I became that mom that could lay her sweet baby in her crib smiling up at me and know that she was happy and able to soothe herself into blissful rest. Whether it was nap time or time for that last kiss at night, I now looked forward to the sweet alone moments mom and baby share before bed. My daughter loved time in her crib, was on a schedule where she looked forward to "nappy time" and I was a happy mom that had some free time to do what I needed to do. A true life adjustment with help from someone who completely know her stuff!!! So in case I never told you... THANK YOU!
-Kathleen S.
ZZZZZZZZZ…….
I tried a variety of medical and holistic alternative solutions to help my son get comfortable while drifting off to sleep and staying in his own bed all night. I would sit outside his bedroom until he was fully asleep; this could be up to several hours a night. All of my attempts failed and I came to a point where I would have tried anything for my son to get a full night’s sleep. During my initial meeting with Hillary she took the time to listen to my challenges and concerns and offered her advice and shared the strategies that she would use to help me solve his sleep issues. |
What impressed me the most about Hillary was her availability and responsiveness. As you can imagine there were many times I was up in the middle of the night at my wits end trying to execute on Hillary’s strategies. She would respond quickly whether it was in the middle of the night, early in the morning and throughout the day when I reached out. I felt like I was not alone and could get through this with her guidance. Hillary is a true professional who truly cares about her clients. My son now sleeps in his own bed throughout the night and gets the sleep he needs to function in school, play, and at home.
-Heather
-Heather
Back on Track
I hired Hillary when my son was about 7 months old because we were having two issues: really short naps and a lot of waking up at night. He had started out as a great sleeper at night but around 5 1/2 months started waking up more and more through the night. Between his one nursing time and new wake ups throughout the night, some nights I was going into his room 6 times. It was getting exhausting, for both of us. To make matters worse he was a terrible napper. His longest nap would be 30 minutes. So, I was doing 4, 30-minute naps a day and they were hardly effective in helping him catch up with his sleep. |
Needless to say, when my pediatrician gave me Hillary's card I got in touch right away. She was fantastic. She came to my house and spent a little time with my son, husband and I, and we talked about his current eating/sleeping schedule and our hopes for his sleeping. She quickly put together a plan for us and we started it right away.
The next night he slept 7pm-7am without me ever having to go in the room, and I don't even think he made a peep. He didn't even miss the night feeding, and he continued with this 12-hour stretch for quite a while. We had a few hiccups along the way as he hit some developmental milestones but every time I needed help or an adjustment to our plan, Hillary was there for us and she kept him on track. He is now 11 months old and continues to be in his crib from 7pm-7am, and sleeps 11 hours straight.
Naps were a big struggle and took longer to fix than the nights, but Hillary was amazing there too. I sent her endless texts and she responded every time with ways to help. It took a couple weeks, and some patience, but he has become a great napper now. For almost the last 3 months he has taken two naps a day and each have been about an hour and fifteen minutes. Somedays even 2 hours. Hillary was a lifesaver for us, and I don't know what we would have done without her. I know that we are better parents because we are getting sleep, and our son is happy all day because he is getting enough sleep! I can't thank Hillary enough!
-Rachel
The next night he slept 7pm-7am without me ever having to go in the room, and I don't even think he made a peep. He didn't even miss the night feeding, and he continued with this 12-hour stretch for quite a while. We had a few hiccups along the way as he hit some developmental milestones but every time I needed help or an adjustment to our plan, Hillary was there for us and she kept him on track. He is now 11 months old and continues to be in his crib from 7pm-7am, and sleeps 11 hours straight.
Naps were a big struggle and took longer to fix than the nights, but Hillary was amazing there too. I sent her endless texts and she responded every time with ways to help. It took a couple weeks, and some patience, but he has become a great napper now. For almost the last 3 months he has taken two naps a day and each have been about an hour and fifteen minutes. Somedays even 2 hours. Hillary was a lifesaver for us, and I don't know what we would have done without her. I know that we are better parents because we are getting sleep, and our son is happy all day because he is getting enough sleep! I can't thank Hillary enough!
-Rachel