Sleep Consultant Course of Study

IMS905 Working with Families

Syllabus

Course name: Working with Families

Course code: IMS905

Course description

This course teaches students how to handle different parenting styles during sleep consultations. It focuses on using empathy and active listening to guide parents through sleep issues. The course is divided into two parts.

In Part 1, students will learn how to work with parents who follow attachment parenting and those who reject it. This part covers the importance of respecting parenting choices and communicating effectively with each type of parent. It also addresses how to handle challenging cases, such as parents who have strong beliefs about how their child should sleep.

In Part 2, students will learn how to guide parents who believe they already know “everything” about sleep or who find it difficult to imagine their child falling asleep without their help. This part also focuses on addressing the specific needs of parents who look for quick solutions or feel overwhelmed by their child's sleep issues. Students will also learn how to help parents who believe their baby is always hungry and those who struggle with sleep problems while managing work and daycare schedules.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Apply empathy and active listening during sleep consultations.
  • Understand different parenting styles and how they affect sleep consulting.
  • Communicate effectively with parents who follow attachment parenting and those who reject it.
  • Handle challenging consultations with parents who believe they are “experts” in their child’s sleep.
  • Guide parents who rely heavily on helping their child fall asleep.
  • Offer realistic solutions to parents looking for “quick fixes”.
  • Address concerns about babies who seem to always be hungry.
  • Support working mothers and help with daycare-related sleep challenges.
  • Give parents the tools to solve sleep issues.

Prerequisites:

Students must have completed the following courses before enrolling in this course:

References:

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