Managing in the day. Lying awake at night.

Sleep difficulties can become exhausting in their own right. After a run of poor nights it is very natural to start watching the clock, worrying about the next day, going to bed earlier or cancelling plans to make up for it. Unfortunately, some of these understandable responses can keep the cycle of poor sleep going. Sleep tends to arrive when we stop trying to make it happen, which is why trying harder so often leaves us more awake.

If you have already tried the sleep tips, the apps and the early nights, and your sleep still feels like something you have to manage, this programme was designed for you.

A focused programme, not an open-ended commitment

The programme draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I), an evidence-informed approach that focuses not on forcing sleep to happen, but on changing the patterns that can keep insomnia going. The aim is not to promise perfect sleep or to make sure you never have another difficult night. Instead, we work towards helping you feel more confident and less controlled by sleep, so that occasional wakefulness or a poor night no longer has the same impact on your life.

You work with the same clinician throughout. Each session builds on the last, with a small amount of practical work in between, and the programme has a planned ending. You leave with a personal understanding of your sleep, skills you can keep using on your own, and a written plan for setbacks.

What happens across the four sessions

• Session one: Understanding your sleep

  We begin with your sleep history, what has been happening lately and what matters most to you. You complete a short sleep questionnaire, which we repeat at the end so you can see what has changed. Together we build a clear picture of what is keeping your sleep difficulty going.

• Session two: Stepping out of the struggle

  You learn how sleep is regulated, including your body's natural sleep drive and body clock, and which habits support it. We look honestly at what the struggle with sleep has been costing you, and begin practising a different way of meeting a wakeful night, including mindful breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.

• Session three: Working with sleep worries

  Thoughts like "I'll never cope tomorrow" can turn a wakeful night into a spiral. You practise stepping back from them rather than arguing with them, and choose one or two things that matter to you to do regardless of how you slept.

• Session four: Moving forward with confidence

• We look back at where you started and what has changed, and put together a short plan for the nights that are still difficult. You leave with a written summary of your programme to keep.

Is this right for you?

The programme suits adults whose sleep has been difficult for a while and who now find themselves worrying about sleep itself: dreading bedtime, lying awake calculating the hours, or planning the day around the night before.

It is a psychological approach. If your sleep might be affected by a physical cause, such as loud snoring or pauses in breathing at night, we'll suggest you speak to your GP first. If you're not sure whether the programme is right for you, that is exactly what the free chat is for.

One clinician, from first session to last

You won't be matched by an algorithm or passed between practitioners. Your programme is delivered by one named, BACP-registered clinician who gets to know you and your sleep, and who designs the work to end.

Fifteen minutes. One honest conversation.

Start with a complimentary 15-minute chat. We'll listen to what has been happening with your sleep, explain how the programme works and what it costs, and help you decide whether it is the right next step. There is no obligation.