Speaker Event with Dr Penny Trayner
Online Thursday 4th June 2026 – 7pm to 8pm (UK time)
BOOK YOUR PLACE
What to expect?
In the last of our Speaker Series for 2025/6 Dr Penny Trayner, Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist will be introducing the science of sleep and its relevance for supporting children, covering sleep stages, cycles, and the three key processes that regulate sleep: sleep pressure, circadian rhythm, and psychological factors. The talk highlights how sleep difficulties are often maintained by cognitive arousal, attention, and learned associations, drawing on psychological models of insomnia. The session then integrates mindfulness as a practical tool for addressing the “busy mind” at bedtime, demonstrating how MiSP strategies can help reduce arousal and support settling. Additionally, we will discuss evidence-based behavioural approaches to improving sleep, focusing on how to embed these skills in everyday life both in the classroom, and at home.
There will also be an opportunity for Penny to answer your questions. If you personally have a question for Penny about mindfulness and sleep, please email [email protected] one week before the event (i.e. by Thu 28th May 2026). We will try to ask as many of these as possible during the session.
The session is set to provide thought provoking and inspiring reflections from a key contributor in the field. It will be a chance to come together as a global community. We warmly welcome everyone, whether you are already familiar with MiSP or completely new!
Who is invited?
The webinar is open to ALL so please do invite colleagues and friends.
We are very grateful to Penny for donating her time to support this MiSP fundraising Speaker Series.
About the Speaker
Dr Penny Trayner
Dr Penny Trayner is a Paediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist specialising in community-based rehabilitation for children and young people with acquired brain injury and complex neurological conditions. In 2009, she founded a community-based paediatric neuropsychology service in Manchester to meet the long-term needs of children and families beyond acute care, and she continues to work across clinical, educational, and medico-legal contexts. She is co-founder of BPM Rehab, an innovative neurorehabilitation service that uses music, DJing, and creative practice as a vehicle for recovery following catastrophic injury.
Alongside her clinical work, Penny is an Academic Director of the University of Liverpool Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme, where she leads on curriculum development, assessment design, and trainee progression. Her academic interests include neuropsychological rehabilitation, executive functioning, and quality of life, and she has published in international peer-reviewed journals and contributed to academic texts. She is a regular invited speaker at national and international conferences.
A trained mindfulness practitioner since 2012, Penny has integrated mindfulness approaches into her clinical and educational work with children and young people with neurodisability, including tics, Tourette Syndrome, and acquired brain injury. She has delivered the Mindfulness in Schools Project programme in schools across the UK and is particularly interested in adapting mindfulness to be accessible, developmentally appropriate, and relevant for children with complex needs.
This event is part of the Speaker Series we are running in 2025/26.
This event is offered for free. We are a registered charity and if you would like to make a donation you can include one when buying your ticket. It is entirely optional, but this additional support can make a big difference towards our charitable efforts.