The Gentle Sleep Coach Program is the first and most extensive professional sleep coach training and certification program available. The program involves over 80 hours of training with a faculty panel that includes 2 medical doctors, a psychologist, an attorney, lactation counselor, postpartum doulas and a family therapist. Each coach must pass an exam and participate in case supervision with Kim West, LCSW-C (a.k.a. “the Sleep Lady”) who has been helping tired parents for over 20 years. Clinical supervision and ongoing advanced training are required to maintain certification as a Gentle Sleep Coach. Some of my training topics included:
-  Basic counseling and child development
-  Sleep science and behavioral modification techniques to help parents of children age 0 to 6 years old.
-  Secure attachment theory
-  Support for the breastfeeding mother

The training also consisted of lectures from top specialists, including:
-  Postpartum Depression from Dr. Shoshana Bennett, author and leading specialist on Postpartum Depression
-  Medical Conditions and Sleep Apnea in Children led by Dr. Lewis Kass, Director of Children’s Sleep Center
-  GERD and Sleep led by Dr. Anthony Loizides, pediatric gastroenterologist

You can find the GSC Directory here for more information.