Become a Certified Sleep Consultant
Help Families Sleep
Build a Career You Love Through Sleep Consultant Training
Families are exhausted. They are searching for someone knowledgeable, compassionate, and qualified to guide them through one of the most challenging parts of early parenthood. That person can be you.
The Doula School Certified Sleep Consultant program is a comprehensive, evidence-based certification designed for doulas, birth workers, and caring individuals who want to build or expand their practice with a deeply in-demand skill set.
This is not a one-size-fits-all sleep training course. This is a full practitioner certification that teaches you how to assess the whole family, honour diverse parenting philosophies, and provide individualized, responsive sleep support from a place of real clinical confidence.
This Sleep Consultant Certification is
Recommended for:
• Certified doulas looking to expand their services and income
• DSC alumni adding a credential to their existing practice
• Postpartum doulas ready to specialize in maternal and newborn sleep support
• Healthcare professionals, lactation consultants, and early childhood educators
• Compassionate individuals beginning a new career in family support
• Anyone who wants a flexible, in-demand certification they can build a business around
Whether you are brand new to birth work or a seasoned practitioner, this program meets you where you are.
Duration and effort
100+ Hours | 3 to 12 Months to Complete
7 self-guided online learning modules
7 assignments and 7 module quizzes
5 required books (student-sourced)
Practicum with a minimum of 5 client assessments
Final online exam (minimum 85% to pass)
Certifications
Certified Sleep Consultant
Recognized by the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants (APSC)
Mentorship
One-on-one mentorship is included throughout your program. You will never feel like you are studying alone.
Access to the DSC student and alumni community
Email support and discussion forum
Dedicated mentorship calls
Lifetime access to course materials and community
Enrollment Options
Self-directed learning modules
5 optional live virtual webinars (strongly recommended)
Students are responsible for purchasing or borrowing the required reading
What Makes This Program Different
Families do not need a sleep consultant who follows a script. They need a practitioner who can think, adapt, and genuinely show up for them. That is exactly what this program trains you to do.
Evidence-based and current. You will learn to interpret and apply real research in maternal and infant sleep, neuroscience, and attachment theory, and translate it into practical, ethical guidance that serves real families.
Philosophy-flexible by design. You will be trained across the full spectrum, from fully responsive, attachment-focused approaches to more structured sleep training methods, so you can serve any family, not just families who share one philosophy.
Whole-family thinking. Feeding, temperament, developmental stage, parental mental health, family dynamics. You will learn to assess all of it before you ever write a sleep plan. Because sleep does not live in isolation. It lives inside a family.
Led by a multi-expert training team. Our instructors bring deep expertise in infant development, sleep science, feeding, and mental health. This is not one perspective. This is the full picture.
Built for doulas and beyond. If you are already a doula, this credential slots seamlessly into your existing practice. If you are new to birth work, it is a powerful and meaningful entry point into a growing field.
Recognized and respected. This certification is recognized by the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants (APSC).
Expand your continuing education. This program qualifies for up to 50 continuing education credits toward existing doula certifications.
Self-directed with live support. Learn on your terms, with the backing of live mentorship and optional facilitator-led group calls throughout your enrollment.
SELF-PACED
Launch Offer: Save $500 for the first 30 students who enroll. Doors open May 1st. Reserve your spot now.
$1,999 CAD $1499 CAD
(+applicable taxes)
Sign Up Now
Everything you need to certify and launch your practice is included in your enrollment:
• All video course content
• Downloadable resources and templates
• Client handouts and assessment tools
• Client intake forms and sleep plan templates by age
• Contract templates and pricing guides
• Certificate of completion
• Lifetime access to all materials and future content updates
• Ongoing one-on-one mentorship
• Access to our online student and alumni communities
• Marketing support for your new business
Payment plans available through Sezzle at checkout.
Practical Skills You Will Walk Away With
Graduates of this program leave confident, equipped, and ready to work. You will be able to:
• Conduct a holistic infant and family sleep assessment covering development,
feeding, temperament, environment, and family dynamics
• Create individualized, age-appropriate sleep plans that actually work for the families in front of you
• Apply a wide toolkit of strategies across responsive, gradual, and structured approaches
• Coach parents with clarity and compassion through the process of change
• Troubleshoot common sleep challenges as they arise in real time
• Navigate sensitive family dynamics with skill and genuine care
• Set up and run a professional, sustainable sleep consulting practice
How to Certify as a Sleep Expert with DSC: Step by Step
Step 1 — Complete Your Coursework Work through all 7 modules, complete all assignments and quizzes with a minimum of 80%, and finish your 5 required readings.
Step 2 — Attend Live Webinars Attend the 5 optional but strongly recommended live virtual webinar sessions throughout your enrollment period.
Step 3 — Complete Your Practicum Complete a practicum assessment for at least 5 clients to gain real-world experience before you certify.
Step 4 — Write Your Final Exam Sit for your online final exam and achieve a minimum grade of 85% to complete your certification.
Step 5 — Receive Your Certification Receive your Doula School Certified Sleep Consultant credential, recognized by APSC.
What You Will Learn
Our curriculum develops practitioners who are thoughtful, adaptable, and truly prepared for the families
who need them most. Each module builds on the last, moving from foundational knowledge through to real-world
clinical practice and business readiness.
- The role of the sleep consultant, sleep terminology, the history of infant sleep, sleep and cultural norms, SUID and SIDS education, the science of sleep across development, and how to prioritize your own wellness as a practitioner.
- Infant development and attachment theory, the four universal needs, temperament, stress and the nervous system, the role of play and movement, technology and sleep, and parent self-regulation.
- Understanding bias in sleep support, the full range of sleep support approaches and sleep training methods, sleep environment optimization, connection and repair, nap support, and the intersection of lactation and sleep needs.
- Working with children with diverse support needs, neurodiversity, knowing when to refer, supporting adoptive families, multiples, and NICU graduates.
- Sleep during pregnancy, toddler sleep, birth as it relates to sleep, trauma and violence-informed care, nutrition and sleep, navigating major family transitions, and parental and family mental health.
- Parental expectations and temperament, household dynamics, the seven types of parents you will encounter in practice, and how to navigate each with skill and genuine empathy.
- Launching and running your sleep consulting practice, contracts and consent forms, client intake and assessment tools, pricing your services sustainably, finding your ideal client, and preventing burnout for the long term.
Your Birthworker Journey Begins and Grows Here
Families need you. Sleep deprivation is one of the most common and most overwhelming challenges in early parenthood, and skilled, compassionate sleep consultants are in high demand. Whether you are building a brand-new practice or expanding what you already offer, this certification gives you the knowledge, the tools, and the confidence to make a genuine difference.
Join a community of practitioners who believe that supporting families well means meeting them where they are, honouring their values, and offering guidance that is informed, flexible, and genuinely caring.
Frequently Asked Questions
- No. This program warmly welcomes both complete beginners and experienced doulas or birth workers looking to add a specialized credential. If you care about families and you are ready to learn, you belong here.
- Very flexible. You have up to 12 months to complete the program entirely at your own pace. The self-guided modules mean you can study around your family, your clients, and your life without sacrificing depth or quality.
- Neither, and that is the point. Our curriculum is intentionally non-prescriptive. You will learn the full spectrum of approaches, from fully responsive, attachment-focused methods to structured sleep training, and be trained to support whatever approach a family chooses. Your role is to educate and empower, not to direct.
- No, this program is about sleep at ALL AGES! Because babies do not sleep in isolation, neither do the families raising them. Infant sleep lives inside a whole family ecosystem, and that ecosystem includes an exhausted parent who is also desperately trying to rest. You will learn everything you need to know about infant sleep: the science, the developmental stages, the strategies, and the practical tools. And you will also learn how maternal and parental sleep deprivation, mental health, feeding, recovery, and stress shape sleep outcomes for the entire family. Because those things are not separate from the baby’s sleep. They are the context in which it either thrives or struggles. That context is where skilled, trained doulas make the difference.
- Yes. Sleep support is one of the fastest-growing areas in family services, and certified practitioners are in high demand. Sleep consultants typically offer per-session rates, multi-week support packages, and ongoing check-ins. Module 7 covers pricing, packages, income potential, and exactly how to build a client base from the ground up.
- Depth, mentorship, and philosophy. Many sleep certifications teach one method and send you on your way. This program trains you as a complete practitioner, with a curriculum co-developed by experts in infant development, neuroscience, mental health, and feeding. You also receive lifetime mentorship and community access, which most programs simply do not include.
- Yes. This program earns up to 50 continuing education credits toward your existing doula certification, making it one of the most efficient and high-value investments you can make in your growing practice.
- Most students complete the program within 6 to 12 months. You have up to 12 months from your enrollment date to fulfill all certification requirements.
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