Meet Louise
I'm Louise Berger, a behavioural sleep medicine specialist and qualified Occupational Therapist (OT).
Occupational Therapy might seem an unexpected background for a sleep specialist, but it turns out to be an ideal one.
Sleep is never just about sleep - it's shaped by biology, psychology, daily routines, relationships, health and the environments we live in. OTs are trained to understand exactly that intersection, which means understanding someone's sleep also means understanding the context of their life.
Sleep problems rarely exist in isolation and neither do the people experiencing them.
In 2011, I founded one of only three dedicated NHS insomnia clinics in the UK, which I continue to lead today.
Since then, I've worked with thousands of people experiencing sleep difficulties of every kind. Many have been navigating other challenges too — physical health conditions, mental health difficulties, chronic pain, multiple sleep disorders, or major life stresses.
What those years have taught me is that lasting improvements rarely come from trying harder to sleep. They come from understanding what's getting in the way and finding an approach that fits the individual sitting in front of you.
That's the approach I bring to every client I work with - evidence-based, practical and tailored to the person, not just the problem.
My story
I didn't plan to specialise in sleep.
In 2011, while working as an OT in A&E, I was asked to set up a new insomnia service in the Sleep Clinic. I'll be honest, even as I started working with my first patient, I wasn't entirely convinced it would work.
I'd learned the techniques and I understood the evidence but when she came back for her second appointment and told me her sleep had improved, I genuinely thought, "Really? Are you sure?"
It turns out the evidence was right.
What surprised me, working with this lady and the many that followed, was how well CBT for Insomnia worked, how often it worked, and how quickly people improved. People who had struggled for years, sometimes decades, were sleeping better within weeks.
I now realise there is a good reason for this.
Most people with insomnia don't continue to struggle because their sleep problem is untreatable. They struggle because they never get access to the right support.
They're given rules to follow and things to try. Sleep hygiene is presented as a solution. More effort is encouraged, but the sleep anxiety, the preoccupation, the internal battle - the things that are actually driving the insomnia, are never addressed.
Over the years I've seen people rediscover a sense of confidence and trust in their sleep. Even now, it never stops being remarkable to watch.
What began as a profession gradually became my passion.
The more I learned about sleep, the more I realised how difficult it was for people to access accurate information and effective treatment.
Good sleep can transform lives, but people first need access to the right information and support.
Work beyond the clinic
Helping people one-to-one remains at the heart of what I do, but improving sleep care means more than working with individual clients.
Alongside clinical practice, I deliver lectures, workshops and training for healthcare professionals and organisations, create educational talks, articles and resources, contribute to national guidance and support the development of better sleep services and training across the UK.
My clinical work is complemented by active involvement in education, professional standards and national policy, because good sleep care should be available to everyone, not just those lucky enough to find the right specialist.
Professional roles and affiliations
-
Communications Committee Member, British Sleep Society
-
Member, WINK Sleep - a professional community for clinicians specialising in sleep
Clinical practice
-
Qualified Occupational Therapist - HCPC registered
-
Clinical Lead and Founder, NHS Insomnia Clinic, Royal Surrey County Hospital (est. 2011)
Teaching and training
-
Associate Lecturer, PG Certificate in Sleep Medicine, University of the West of England, contributing to the postgraduate training of clinicians specialising in sleep
-
Creator of the CALMS Framework, clinical tool developed to support healthcare professionals delivering behavioural sleep interventions
National policy and standards
-
Professional Expert, NICE Insomnia Guidelines contributing to national standards for insomnia diagnosis and treatment across the NHS
-
Co-author, Expert Consensus Guidelines for CBT-I Minimum Standards of Practice, Royal Society of Medicine
Outside all of this - lover of nature, people, learning and sleep
Ready to take the next step?
If you feel ready to explore support for your sleep, I'd love to hear from you.
