Julie Miller has a Masters in social work from UBC, and since 1998 she has used her training to support children and families. But going into business as a sleep consultant never crossed her mind until after the experience in which her own daughter, Sola, was a "terrible sleeper."
Sola used to keep her parents up half the night sometimes, the Squamish resident said.
"She had lots of health issues," Miller said of Sola, whose various infantile maladies partly arose out of having been born prematurely.
"Before we had this situation arise, we said we would never let our child sleep in our bed, but what this situation made us realize is that every child is different and you've got to deal with each situation individually."
Miller, now the proud mother of both Sola, age 3 , and Yale, 18 months, said that through that experience she learned about the Family Sleep Institute, a Connecticut-based organization that offers training for those aiming to consult with the families of young children on sleep-related issues.
After successfully completing the "affordable Child Sleep Consultant Certification" course online, Miller launched Mountain Dreams Family Sleep Consulting, "a business focussed on helping families with infants and young children who are having sleeping problems," Miller wrote in a statement.
As part of her training, Miller was required to do a practicum in which she consulted with three families - who in this case hailed from Squamish and Whistler - and prepare a report on their situations, what solutions were suggested and the outcomes achieved.
Through her own experience, those of the three families and those of families who have sought out her services in her first few months in business, Miller has learned about the importance of a good night's sleep for all involved. She's also learned that there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
"Most new moms don't have time to read 10 books on sleep," she said, explaining the rationale behind the service she offers.
With each of the three levels of service she offers, she spends a lot of time becoming familiar with each family's situation and then comes up with a strategy that best fits that family's needs, she said.
"It's not counselling at all. It's just supporting the family and coaching them - that's really the term for this," Miller said. "It's what time to put them to bed - what nap times will work best, all the things that go around sleep times - and coming up with a model of what's going to fit your child at this age."
Miller said she normally works with families whose children are between six months and five years old who have experienced sleep issues.
"Between the ages of five and 15 months is when most parents realize, 'OK, this has gone on way longer than we thought it would.' Maybe one parent or both are going back to work and they start to realize they need some help getting a decent night's sleep," she said.
Miller said her clients - she mostly works in the Sea to Sky Corridor and on the Sunshine Coast -have reported that the strategies she has offered have not only helped parents get the sleep they need, but that the children have progressed more rapidly in developing fine motor and language skills.
"Ultimately, parents are better parents when they're rested. They have more patience - when you're exhausted it's hard to have that patience when kids are having tantrums. Even for the child, getting more rest also helps them do what they should be doing developmentally," she said.
Consultations generally take two weeks. Miller offers three different levels of service, hinging on whether consultations are in person or by phone, whether one or more home visits is desired and whether ongoing support is needed. For more information, visit www.mountaindreams.ca
