Meet Emilie Martin-Chave, a French Psychomotor Therapist, Sleep Consultant and Parenting Guidance Coach based in Amsterdam. With an approach that connects the body and mind, Emilie supports families through psychomotor development, gentle sleep guidance, parenting support and education.
We spoke with Emilie about her journey into perinatal and parenting care, her international career, what psychomotor therapy really means, and what she hopes parents take away from working with her.
Emilie, tell us a little about yourself…
Hello, I’m Emilie Martin Chave! I’m a French Psychomotor Therapist, Sleep Consultant and Parenting Guidance Coach.
At my core, I am deeply passionate about how the body and mind interact, child development, family dynamics, and helping parents navigate the beautiful, yet often overwhelming, journey of welcoming and raising a child.
I am currently based in Amsterdam, where I serve families locally in person as well as internationally via online consultations.
As a person, I’m naturally empathetic, grounded and curious. My own expatriate journey has taken me to many different places around the world over the past 20 years, deeply enriching my practice with diverse perspectives and holistic approaches.
Outside of my practice, I am an expat mum to three beautiful daughters raised in a multicultural environment. I love discovering new cultures, staying active through sports, and taking time to slow down and appreciate the small, everyday moments. A mindset that heavily influences how I support parents when life feels fast-paced or chaotic.
Every person is unique, and every family has its own rhythm. You don’t need to be a “perfect” parent, you just need the right understanding and tools that fit your family. I am here to walk alongside you, step by step, so you can feel confident, supported and truly enjoy this chapter with your child.
Can you tell us more about what you do and how you support families?
My approach bridges neurodevelopment, motor skills, sleep science and gentle emotional support.
Psychomotor Therapy & Early Development
Psychomotor therapy is a unique, holistic approach that uses body awareness, movement and relaxation to deeply understand how your nervous, cognitive, emotional, sensory and motor systems interact and influence one another.
It looks at the person as a whole, connecting emotional wellbeing directly with physical experience. In France, Psychomotor Therapists are state-certified Allied Health Professionals.
Key areas of intervention include motor and developmental challenges such as dyspraxia, dysgraphia, infant motor milestone delays and tone/postural regulation; neurodivergence and sensory processing, including ADHD, autism (ASD) and sensory integration support; emotional and nervous system regulation; and psychosomatic and regulatory care.
With babies, I help parents understand how their child senses, moves and interacts with the world. I support natural motor development so their child can feel secure, confident and balanced in their body.
Gentle Infant & Child Sleep Consulting
My sleep consultation process is not traditional sleep training. I do not use “cry-it-out” or rigid, one-size-fits-all scripts.
Instead, I combine developmental neuroscience, sensory processing and attachment theory to understand why your baby or child is waking up, struggling to settle or resisting sleep.
We look at the body-mind connection, their natural circadian rhythms, physical comfort and nervous system regulation to create gentle, sustainable changes.
Parenting Guidance
Parenting guidance is not about giving you a strict rulebook or telling you how to “fix” your child. It is a reflective, supportive and non-judgemental space where we look at your family dynamic through the dual lens of neurodevelopment and relational emotional wellbeing.
Together, we decode your child’s behavioural communication, sensory system and nervous system, bring calm to daily routines, and support your emotional regulation as a parent, especially when navigating cultural shifts, expatriation or major life transitions.
Supporting Parents Through Education & Prevention
I believe strongly in giving parents the information and support they need. When parents feel informed and supported, they’re better equipped to navigate parenthood.
That’s why I co-facilitate workshops to help parents prepare for postpartum, along with follow-up workshops on topics like newborn sleep, child development, the “terrible twos!” and emotional regulation.
My goal is to equip parents with practical tools and reassurance they can draw on at every stage of their parenting journey.
I also strongly believe that it takes a village to support a family. I actively collaborate with other specialists, including midwives, psychologists, osteopaths and paediatric professionals, to ensure families receive well-rounded, comprehensive care.
What inspired you to work with parents and families?
My path to becoming a Psychomotor Therapist began early in my university years, born from a profound belief that our body and mind are intrinsically linked.
I knew that to truly help individuals overcome their struggles, we cannot treat the mind or the body in isolation, we must honour the deep, continuous conversation between the two.
To understand human development across a lifetime, one must start at the very beginning. I became fascinated by early baby milestones and infant neurodevelopment, seeing them not as simple physical markers, but as the foundational building blocks of the body-mind connection that shape how we move, feel and interact with the world throughout life.
But while my clinical curiosity set me on this path, my personal journey transformed how I practise.
As an expat mother raising my three daughters across different countries, I experienced first-hand how overwhelming, fast-paced and isolating early parenthood can feel, especially when you are far from your original “village”. I saw the overwhelming noise and contradictory advice that new parents face every day.
I wanted to create something different: a calm, grounded bridge between neurodevelopmental science, gentle sleep and emotional reassurance.
Where did your professional journey begin, and how has it evolved over the years?
My journey in Psychomotor Therapy began in 2006, starting with daycare management before my curiosity and love for cultures took me abroad.
As an NGO volunteer in Syria and Lebanon, I worked in specialised schools and diagnostic institutes supporting infants, children and teens with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism (ASD).
Life and expatriation with my husband later took us to Egypt, Dubai, Düsseldorf and now Amsterdam, where I opened my practice at each step, supporting international patients from infancy to adulthood.
The Turning Point: Becoming an Expat Mum
Despite my clinical background, becoming a mother far from family support was an eye-opener.
Experiencing the sheer exhaustion of sleepless nights without an immediate “village” inspired me to specialise in infant and child sleep science during my last pregnancy: a true life-changer!
When people asked, “Does your baby sleep through the night?” I loved answering: “No, but I do!”
What training and experiences have shaped the practitioner you are today?
My foundational qualification is my State Diploma in Psychomotor Therapy (Diplôme d’État de Psychomotricien) from the Institut de Formation en Psychomotricité, Faculté de Médecine, Sorbonne Université in Paris, France, completed between 2002 and 2006.
This comprehensive four-year clinical and theoretical state qualification covered neuroanatomy, physiology, infant neurodevelopment, motor planning, body schema, and psychiatric and psychosomatic care.
Since then, I have continued to expand my expertise through specialised training, including:
- 2023 – Certified Infant & Child Sleep Consultant, 1001 dodos®: training in infant and child sleep biology, circadian rhythms, attachment security, parental sleep debt and gentle sleep ecology, without cry-it-out methods.
- 2024 – ADHD & Executive Functioning: evidence-based training in executive function deficits, working memory, impulse control, emotional regulation and behavioural strategies for children with ADHD.
- 2023 – Graphomotor Psychomotricity & Dysgraphia Rehabilitation: advanced clinical training in dysgraphia assessment, pencil grip mechanics, postural stability, rhythm, fluidity and reducing handwriting fatigue.
- 2012 – The Sensitivo-Perceptive Method: training in sensory-perceptive approaches to handwriting, including tactile-kinesthetic feedback, hand-eye coordination and posture.
- Applied Neuroscience & Nervous System Regulation: advanced training through PESI (Professional Educational Services Institute).
- Primitive Reflex Integration (I.M.P.): specialised training connecting primitive infant reflexes, emotional bonding, attachment security and autonomic nervous system regulation.
- 2018 – Autism Spectrum Disorder & Sensorimotor Integration: specialised clinical training through the Association Française des Psychomotriciens Unités de Psychomotricité (A.F.P.U.P.) in Paris, covering sensory modulation, sensorimotor integration, non-verbal communication and nervous system co-regulation.
What do you love most about what you do?
What brings me the greatest joy in my work is helping patients discover their inherent strengths and “superpowers”, especially in the face of difficulties.
I know I’ve done a great job when patients tell me they feel reconnected.
Psychomotor Therapy has a remarkably wide scope of practice, spanning the entire human lifespan, from newborns to the elderly, and addressing physical, neurological, emotional and relational wellbeing.
What might parents be surprised to learn about Psychomotor Therapy?
Is there a moment from your career that has stayed with you?
In Syria, my Arabic was very basic. I was teaching children how to move, and they were trying to teach me new words every day.
It was a true win-win!
How would you like families to feel after working with you?
After our time together, I don’t want you to remember a rigid list of rules or clinical protocols.
I want you to feel:
Empowered: Trusting your parenting voice over the noise of external expectations.
Reconnected: Understanding your child’s sensory and physical language so you can co-regulate with ease.
Confident: Knowing that your family is resilient, capable and equipped with its own unique “superpowers” to face whatever comes next.
Finally, what’s your golden nugget for expectant or new parents?
A perfect parent is an imperfect parent!
And a few quick ones, just for fun…
Tea or coffee?
Coffee ☕
Your favourite way to recharge?
Loud music 🎶
Three words to describe yourself?
Curious, sensitive and empathic.
Would you like to work with Emilie?
Emilie supports families in Amsterdam and internationally through psychomotor therapy, infant and child sleep consulting, parenting guidance and perinatal support.
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