Holistic Sleep Coaching
The industry's highest-accredited, clinically supervised certification in responsive infant and child sleep.Accredited at Level 6 through OCN, with 104 live clinical supervision sessions a year. Not a technique to learn, but a clinical framework to think with, for the complex cases where scripts fall short.
Explore the full programme ↗Visit the Holistic Sleep Coaching website ↗ holisticsleepcoaching.com: modules, faculty, free resources and applications
Dr Lyndsey Hookway & Emma DeweyThe team behind 700+ trained practitioners
Real supervision. Real curriculum. Real support
- Live clinical supervision with Dr Lyndsey Hookway — 104 sessions a year
- 16 modules across 4 progressive phases, self-paced
- Business development sessions with Emma Dewey — 24 sessions a year
- Assessed at Level 6 — the same academic difficulty as final-year undergraduate study
- Lifetime access to all materials and updates
Dr Lyndsey HookwayClinical Lead · Co-founder
You don't want a method to follow.
You want to learn how to think
- You're uncomfortable with non-responsive behavioural sleep methods
- You want deeper clinical understanding, not scripts
- You're tired of simplistic advice that collapses in complex cases
- You want to be taken seriously as a professional
- You want to build a sustainable, values-led practice
"Holistic sleep coaching is not behavioural work made gentler. It is a multidisciplinary, evidence-led framework."
This programme does not give you a checklist. It develops your ability to think, and that changes everything. If you've completed other sleep courses but still feel gaps, especially with complex cases, feeding integration, temperament, mental health or neurodivergence, this provides the clinical framework your first course lacked.
Holistic means whole. The whole child and the whole family: health, feeding, development, temperament, parental wellbeing, attachment, understood as one interconnected picture, not a sleep "strategy" applied to an isolated problem. Gentleness is the byproduct, not the definition. What defines this programme is the clinical framework: learning how to reason through a complex family, rather than which script to follow.
Evidence-based, gentle, holistic
Evidence Appraisal & Applied Sleep Biology
Interpret research confidently, understand applied sleep biology, and assess multifactorial cases using structured clinical reasoning.
Structured Clinical Reasoning for Complex Cases
Consider feeding, development, mental health, temperament, neurodiversity, sensory processing, and family context as part of integrated assessment.
Clear Professional Scope & Sustainable Practice
Practise within clear scope, communicate confidently, and be seen as an evidence-led professional with a thriving practice.
Sixteen modules. Four phases. One framework
A progressive professional pathway for sleep consultants and coaches, designed to develop clinical reasoning, integrative assessment skills, and sustainable professional practice, built on a deep understanding of sleep as a multisystem process. Self-paced, completed in around four months on average alongside full-time work, and assessed at Level 6, the same level of academic difficulty as final-year undergraduate study.
Foundations
Modules 1–2 Relational foundationsAttachment · Family-centred care
Sleep Biology
Modules 3–5 Biological regulationSleep biology · Sleep cycles across the lifespan · Sleep hygiene & environment
Clinical Integration
Modules 6–14 Multifactorial assessmentConsultation skills · Temperament & development · Feeding, reflux & colic · Allergies · Neurodivergence + 4 more
Professional Practice
Modules 15–16 Sustainable practicePositioning & pricing · Client acquisition · Sustainable business
By the end of this programme, you will be able to:
Navigate complex infant sleep with clinical clarity
Interpret research confidently, understand applied sleep biology, and assess multifactorial cases using structured clinical reasoning to distinguish developmentally normal patterns from clinically significant presentations.
Integrate multidisciplinary knowledge into practice
Bring biological, developmental and psychosocial factors into holistic assessment, provide family-centred, culturally responsive care, and identify red flags requiring medical referral within defined professional scope.
Develop a recognised specialist identity
Practise within clear scope, communicate evidence-based recommendations without undermining parental confidence, and be seen, by families and allied professionals, as an evidence-led specialist.
Build an ethical, sustainable practice
Develop clear professional positioning, values-led practice systems, and the confidence to communicate your professional value, while maintaining your own wellbeing alongside client care.
Assessment that builds your confidence
Assessment is designed to ensure you are ready to practise confidently and ethically, not to create barriers. If you do not pass on the first attempt, you receive detailed feedback and can resubmit; resubmissions are always permitted. Our assessors are practising professionals who understand the realities of combining study with family and work life, and many students complete the programme having not studied for years, or with English as an additional language.
- Written assignmentsDemonstrate your understanding of core concepts through thoughtful, analytical written work.
- Applied case analysisShow integrated clinical reasoning by working through real-world family scenarios.
- Reflective practiceSubmit reflective pieces that evidence your personal and professional growth throughout the programme.
- Module quizzesConsolidate learning at the end of each module to build confidence and identify areas for revision.
A credential that means something
OCN Level 6 certification
Internationally recognised accreditation at Level 6, the same level of academic difficulty as final-year undergraduate study, with a digital badge for professional profiles and websites.
Graduate directory listing
Listed on the graduate directory: a searchable resource for families and referrers looking for certified holistic sleep coaches worldwide.
Ongoing CPD & community
Access to continued professional development sessions and a graduate community for peer support, supervision, and ongoing learning, plus lifetime access to all materials and updates.
Approved for 18.75 CERP credits for IBCLCs and aspiring IBCLCs
We're selective. Here's why
The ones who thrive share one quality: a hunger for clinical understanding, not scripts.
That's also why every applicant has a free call with us first. Not a sales pitch, a two-way conversation to understand your goals and check this is genuinely the right next step for you.
A good fit if…
- You're a professional working with families (health visitor, midwife, IBCLC, doula, nanny, occupational therapist) seeking deeper clinical expertise in sleep
- You're transitioning into sleep coaching and committed to building a professional identity
- You value evidence-based, responsive care over behavioural techniques
- You want clinical reasoning and depth, not scripts or quick fixes
- You're building a long-term professional practice and sustainable income
- You're willing to examine your own biases and engage with complexity
- You're prepared to invest time equivalent to university-level study
Not a fit if…
- You want a "gentle method" you can market without deep understanding
- You're looking for behavioural methods with a rebrand or softer language
- You expect certification with minimal effort
- You want scripts to follow, not thinking to develop
- You're seeking information for your own baby, not building a professional practice
- You're exploring casually, without commitment to becoming a practitioner
- You're unwilling to engage with complexity and multidisciplinary frameworks
Using sleep knowledge within a role you already have?
If you want sleep knowledge to support families within a role you already do, as a nanny, maternity nurse or another hands-on position, our Gentle Sleep Practitioner course (OCN Levels 3 & 4) is built for that. If you're building sleep coaching into an independent practice or a new income stream, including alongside an existing specialism such as lactation consulting, this Holistic Sleep Coaching programme is the right fit.
I went from six clients a month to six clients a week — with a waitlist.Karla · Public health nurse & Holistic Sleep Coaching graduate
I've not only replaced my full-time salary — I'm earning at least 30% more, around my kids.Kristina Hall · Holistic Sleep Coach
The clinical and the commercial, by design
Most programmes teach one or the other. Holistic Sleep Coaching was founded by one of each, so alongside 104 clinical supervision sessions a year, students get 24 business development sessions a year: pricing with confidence, positioning, client acquisition that feels authentic, and building a sustainable practice.
Dr Lyndsey Hookway
Clinical lead · Co-founderPublic health nurse, IBCLC, PhD researcher and author of six books on infant sleep, breastfeeding and parenting. Widely recognised as a leading voice in holistic sleep, Lyndsey has spent over 20 years shaping how practitioners worldwide approach responsive, evidence-based family care. She leads all clinical supervision on the programme.
Emma Dewey
Business lead · Founder of BabyemFounder and Programme Director of Babyem. Emma leads the business side of the programme, helping sleep coaches turn their accreditation into a working practice: pricing, positioning, client acquisition and sustainable income. She's done it, and she teaches exactly how.
Answered honestly
Is this course accredited?
Yes. The Holistic Sleep Coaching Programme is accredited through Open College Network (OCN) at Level 6, the same level of academic difficulty as final-year undergraduate study. For IBCLCs and aspiring IBCLCs, the course is also approved for 18.75 CERP credits.
How is this different from other sleep consultant courses?
Most courses teach techniques to apply. This programme teaches a clinical framework to think with: integrating feeding, development, mental health, temperament, neurodivergence and family context into structured assessment. It's also the industry's highest accreditation, with 104 live clinical supervision sessions a year and 24 business development sessions a year included, where most programmes charge extra for either.
What if I have already trained elsewhere?
Many of our students arrive already certified elsewhere. If you've completed other sleep courses but still feel gaps (especially with complex cases, feeding integration, temperament, mental health or neurodivergence), this provides the clinical framework your first course lacked.
How much business support is included?
24 business development sessions a year with Emma Dewey are included: professional positioning, pricing strategy, client acquisition systems and building sustainable income. It's part of the programme, not an add-on.
Can I fit this into my life?
The programme is self-paced and most students complete it in around four months while working full-time. All live sessions are recorded, and materials are accessible on any device, at any time. Take your time; the programme fits around your life, not the other way round.
What support do I get after graduation?
Lifetime access to all materials and updates, ongoing CPD sessions, a private graduate community for peer support and supervision, and a listing on the graduate directory where families and referrers find certified holistic sleep coaches.
The full programme lives on Holistic Sleep Coaching
Modules, faculty, accreditation detail, payment plans, free resources and applications are all there. Take your time, it'll still be there when you're ready.
View the programme ↗ Visit the Holistic Sleep Coaching website ↗