Kirsty Vant
Sleep Therapist
Kirsty originally trained as a nurse at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital. She later completed a post-graduate diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, a diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and a Masters in research, specialising in sleep research in school aged children, she is now studying for a PhD.
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Kirsty is interested in the promotion of health and wellbeing, and in particular the role that sleep plays in creating a healthy mind and body. Research forms an important part of Kirsty's work and she is currently researching the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia with children and families at Royal Holloway, University of London.
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Kirsty is a member of The Royal College of Nursing, The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the British Sleep Society.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings and behaviours are all connected and therefore improvements are best achieved by addressing all these areas.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) applies these principles to sleep difficulties by helping people to improve the way they think and feel about sleep as well as identifying the behaviours that will help them sleep.
CBT-I has been found to be as effective at treating insomnia in the short-term as medication and more effective than medication in the long term. It is now recommended by the NHS as a first-line treatment.
Children and families
Parent guided CBT-I
It can be very difficult as a parent when your child is having difficulty sleeping and you don't know how to help.
In addition to your worries about how a lack of sleep might be affecting your child, it's important to recognise that children’s sleep problems can impact the whole family.
What starts as a child having difficulty sleeping can evolve so there is a negative impact on a family’s time, resources, and relationships.
When parents are guided to resolve the sleep issue this can reverse this trend, strengthening relationships and improving the quality of life for the whole family. Many of the skills you will learn can be applied to situations other than sleep.
Research & Innovation
We are always looking for new ways to help you and your child improve your sleep.
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In 2022 we won a grant to develop a digital course for parents with a child who is having difficulty sleeping. After extensive research into children's sleep difficulties and the best ways to help, the result was our Slumber Skills course which is now available to purchase here.
We are often looking for individuals and families who might be interested in taking part in future research projects. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to hear about our research, please click the link below:
Services
All services follow the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia.
1:1 CBT-I therapy sessions
Adults and young people
For Adults and young people, CBT-i takes the form of regular sessions working 1:1 with a therapist to help you pinpoint the problems and strategies. It is a collaborative approach, tailored to your needs and resources.​
Slumber Skills
Online course for parents
The Slumber Skills course is aimed at parents of children aged 4-12 years. The course is accessed online and includes videos and downloadable e-books which covers the main types of sleep difficulties children and families experience, these include bedtime challenges, difficulty sleeping independently and sleep-based anxiety.
Talks and Training
Kirsty is happy to deliver talks or training.
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If you would like more information about this please get in touch
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Tel: +44 7921124308