Dr Michelle is an NHS-trained insomnia specialist and a cognitive neuroscientist Ph.D.
I have been trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) by some of the leading experts in Behavioural Sleep Medicine, including Professor Jason Ellis (of Northumbria University), and Dr. Hugh Selsick & Dr. David O’Regan at The Insomnia and Behavioural Sleep Medicine Clinic, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust, where I accessed specialist NHS training i.e. clinical observations followed by my direct delivery of CBTI to patients with chronic insomnia, under consultant supervision.
A significant proportion of my career has been as a research scientist. Following my Science degree (specialising in Physiology) and my Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology at Trinity College Dublin, I’ve worked for over a decade as a research scientist (specialising in cognitive neuroscience and EEG) and psychologist at University College London, running UK-wide research trials looking at the impact of different disorders on brain and cognitive development (published author of 11 international peer-reviewed papers). This patient-facing, patient-focused research includes work with children born blind and visually impaired. It was these patients’ striking problems with their sleep (and the impact sleep loss had not only on the children but the parents too) that first prompted my interest in sleep as a specialty.
On a more personal level, I have experienced periods of debilitating insomnia myself since childhood, so I know only too well the brutal torture that an insomnia sufferer goes through. I have applied CBTI techniques to myself and I have to say it has transformed me: not just my sleep, but also my energy, my physical and mental health, and my entire quality of life.
Now, as the founder of The Sleep Sphere, my wish is to bring together my long-standing experience of critically evaluating scientific evidence, and my training in insomnia therapy, to provide a caring, compassionate and evidence-driven way of helping those who are struggling with their sleep.
I am a member of The British Sleep Society, have full professional insurance, and receive regular professional peer supervision.
I have given radio interviews on sleep for the BBC World Service , for podcasts e.g. Everyday Neuro, The MSingLink, World’s Your Oysta, and published articles on sleep for e.g. Women’s Health.
Now, enough of me talking about me… let’s see what others have to say!
“My sleep is much improved since the course of therapy and I am confident to say that I’m no longer suffering with insomnia.”
— Collette C, London.