Certificate in Sleep Recovery

This 4 day professional training explores the profound impact of sleep and rest on mental and emotional well-being, for yourself and for your clients. You’ll learn practical strategies to improve a variety of sleep problems as they relate to anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions and other challenges we face in therapeutic practice. Learn through discussion, movement, case examples, supervision and practical application over 2 days in person in London and 2 interactive days via Zoom.

Course overview:

In this 4 day professional training you’ll explore the profound impact of sleep and rest on mental and emotional well-being, for yourself and for your clients. You’ll learn practical strategies to improve a variety of sleep problems as they relate to anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, life transitions and other challenges we face in therapeutic practice. Learn through discussion, movement, case examples, supervision and practical application over 2 days in person in London and 2 interactive days via Zoom. 

What You’ll Learn:

  • A method to assess sleep difficulties effectively.
  • Essential knowledge about the science of sleep, how to influence our sleep neurochemistry, and working with circadian rhythms.
  • Trauma-informed and polyvagal approaches that distinguish best practices from some mainstream solutions.
  • A toolkit of movement, breath, meditation, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation.
  • Practical skills and case-study-based supervision in friendly and supportive groups to seamlessly integrate knowledge and tools into your clinical practice.

About this course

  • Course Duration:4 days
    (Part 1 in-person at NCVO in London, Part 2 on Zoom)
  • Next intake:Winter 2025
    (Part 1: 8th & 9th Nov 2025, Part 2: 6th Dec 2025 & 17th Jan 2026)
  • CPD Value:24 Hours
  • Level:Certificate (Level 5 equivalence)
  • Fee:£600 + VAT
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Do you have a question? Get in touch with a member of the team who will be happy to help

The primary aim of this course is to equip you with a toolkit to help you and your clients sleep better.

You’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of therapeutic pathways to improve sleep for mental and physical health. By addressing sleep issues, you will have the power to positively influence your clients’ mood, cognition, well-being, metabolism, and hormonal balance. As a therapist, enhancing your knowledge of sleep and its effects can amplify the impact of your therapeutic work, making it more potent and enduring.

What You’ll Learn:

  • A method to assess sleep difficulties effectively.
  • Essential knowledge about the science of sleep, how to influence our sleep neurochemistry, and working with circadian rhythms.
  • Trauma-informed and polyvagal approaches.
  • A toolkit of movement, breath, meditation, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation.
  • Practical skills and case-study-based supervision to seamlessly integrate knowledge and tools into your clinical practice.

Part 1: 2-day intensive

This part of the course is attended in person at NCVO.

  • Explore the scientific, psychological, somatic, and emotional foundations of Sleep Recovery, to help you and your clients overcome insomnia and sleep difficulties.
  • Learn how personality types and somatic patterns relate to sleep problems and how to address them from a polyvagal-informed perspective.
  • Utilize the Sleep Recovery Toolkit, tailoring it to your needs.
  • Learn to integrate simple movements (yoga-based), breath awareness, meditation, and relaxation techniques into client sessions.
  • Develop the skills to assess sleep difficulties holistically and address them over time as part of ongoing client work.
  • Incorporate breath, meditation, and physical practices into therapy sessions confidently, both in-person and online.

Part 2: Case-based seminars: Sleep Recovery in practice and group supervision (held on Zoom)

The final two days, conducted via Zoom on two Saturdays from 10 am to 5pm UK time, will bring you deeper into the world of Sleep Recovery in your practice or in your own life. These sessions go beyond theory, bringing the course content to life with real-time examples drawn from your own client work. It’s a dynamic opportunity for supervision, where we’ll collectively explore and refine strategies to empower your clients in the realm of sleep.

Sessions will be interactive, with ample time away from the screen.

In this segment, you’ll have the opportunity to bring physical practices right into the comfort of your home environment. It’s a hands-on experience that bridges the gap between theory and practical application, ensuring that you can confidently utilize these tools with your clients.

Learning is absorbed by attendance and participation on the course. There is no assessment other than attendance and participation. Although a reading list is provided, there is no formal requirement for further reading – although reading the Sleep Recovery texts is suggested to enhance your understanding, or for professional development subsequent to the course. The two core texts that underpin the principles of Sleep Recovery are accessible here or can be ordered from any good bookshop.

The award of the CPD Certificate will be issued upon completion of the course, provided 4 days have been attended and the course fee has been paid in full.

A digital certificate is provided as a matter of routine. Paper certificates despatched by Royal Mail are available upon request. Replacement certificates are available on request.

Dates for 2025:

Part 1: in-person at NCVO in London

  • Saturday 8 November 2025
  • Sunday 9 November 2025

(NCVO, Regents Wharf, 8 All Saints St, London N1 9RL , within 5 minutes’ walk of Kings Cross / St Pancras).

Part 2: on Zoom

  • Saturday 6th December 2025
  • Saturday 17th January 2026

Times each day: 10am – 5pm

The course fee for the Certificate in Sleep Recovery™ is £600 + VAT, totalling £720.00 payable in full or by instalments. This fee covers all course materials, intensive training, case-based seminars, and supervision  A non-refundable deposit of £300 is payable at the time of booking to secure a place on this course.

The course fee includes all training materials and the CPD certificate. Travel costs to/from the venue are not included.

The course fee can also be invoiced fully or partially to an employer or funding organisation. Some reduced-fee places may be awarded depending on student circumstances, subject to availability. Please contact us for details.

Meet the trainers

Lisa Sanfilippo and Robert Rees are highly experienced professionals, ensuring you receive expert guidance throughout the course. Join us on this transformative journey to become a more effective and well-rounded therapist, positively impacting your clients' lives and your own.

Lisa Sanfilippo

Psychotherapist, Trainer, Yoga Therapist, Sleep Recovery Founder and Author

MA, MSc, UKCP, MBACP

Robert Rees

Director of The Grove, Psychotherapist, Coach

Dip (Psych, Trauma, Supvn) MUKCP MBACP

“This course has been life-changing on a personal level.”
“I can now see the difference between good enough sleep and poor diet.”
“Sleep hygiene isn’t just the last hour before bed but how I do my day.”
“This course has stretched my mind and body, helping me learn how they work together best.”

Julia, Cornetta & Joy Sleep Recovery Students 2024

Application criteria

Applicants are expected to be qualified and experienced professionals in a mental health or helping profession, who are established in their practice. This will be covered in the application form.

If you are a Yoga Professional, you will be invited for a short meeting with Lisa following application, as additional minimum application criteria apply.

All applicants are expected to:

  • be qualified and experienced in their field
  • be full members of their professional body with a code of ethics and complaint procedure for public protection (such as but not limited to BACP, UKCP, COSRT, BPS, AHPP, NCP, NCS, ACC)
  • hold professional liability insurance
  • have supervision arrangements in place for their client work as well as access to support for any clinical or organisation practice they undertake during the course

Professional standards

The Grove Practice is accredited by NCIP (National Council for Integrative Psychotherapists) as a CPD training centre. As such, all The Grove’s courses are awarded NCIP accreditation for CPD (Continuous Professional Development). This accreditation provides reassurance regarding high standards of teaching and course content. The NCIP is one of the longest-established membership organisations for this profession, formed in 1971 following the “Foster Report” on the statutory registration of psychotherapists, with a national and international network of therapists.

The Grove’s courses have been successfully recognised as CPD for members of the following membership bodies: BACP, UKCP, COSRT, NCIP, NCPS, AHPP, BPS, among others. Organisations such as universities, colleges, the NHS, Relate, MIND, and Place2B have also supported their therapists in taking training with The Grove. This is a mark of unofficial validation of our courses as worthy of being listed on the CPD logs for these organisations and therapists.

This course is taught at Level 5 equivalence, for mature professionals who are established in their mode of practice. The title “Level 5” is drawn from the numbered educational levels according to Ofqual’s Regulated Qualification Framework operating in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. (Scotland has its own educational levels in place.) This is a post-qualification training which requires theoretical evaluation, self-reflection, and interpretation of how to apply the models in mental health settings such as clinical practice or multi-disciplinary teams in organisations. The Grove is setting its own courses at a training level in line with industry-wide language for setting the academic level of the course.

Our guidance to anyone researching CPD courses is to ask any training provider stating a Level, to provide the Ofqual qualification number (which looks like this 601/8674/4). If the training provider cannot give this information for their course, then the course is unlikely to be allocated an official Level by Ofqual. In our view, any other course provider should state that their course is taught “at a level equivalent to Level x but is not a qualification regulated by Ofqual”. This approach is implemented by The Grove.

About this course

  • Course Duration:4 days
    (Part 1 in-person at NCVO in London, Part 2 on Zoom)
  • Next intake:Winter 2025
    (Part 1: 8th & 9th Nov 2025, Part 2: 6th Dec 2025 & 17th Jan 2026)
  • CPD Value:24 Hours
  • Level:Certificate (Level 5 equivalence)
  • Fee:£600 + VAT
Apply
Do you have a question? Get in touch with a member of the team who will be happy to help

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