I provide a calm, confidential space for you to explore your situation or issues and the impact on your mental health, relationships, sense of self, life plans, career and more.
Menopause is not just hot flushes and insomnia
Whether you are in natural perimenopause/menopause or encountering the hormonal effects of surgical or chemical menopause, the multitude of symptoms and their impact on your physical and mental health are unpredictable and can be extremely debilitating.
all women should feel listened to and supported through the menopause - none of us should struggle alone.
Symptoms of hormonal syndromes such as PMDD often intensify in the perimenopause period, impacating home lives, work and relationships. Neurodivergent people often find their coping strategies fail in perimenopause as lowered oestrogen impacts dopamine and seratonin (our 'feel-good' hormones), brain fog and other cognitive difficulties may worsen, and supportive lifestyle factors like getting adequate and restful sleep can be more harder to maintain.
Many of us only start to understand the health impact of our own hormone changes and menopause transition after diagnosis, when symptoms we had no idea were linked to low hormones start to make sense.
There is no ‘too young’
Contrary to popular belief, the menopause transition isn’t something that only affects women in their 50s. 50s. Our ovaries can stop functioning normally at any age, described as 'POI' or 'Premature Ovarian Insufficiency' if under 40 years old, 'Early Menopause' if under 45, causing physical, emotional and psychological difficulties.
Counselling for fertility issues
Infertility is isolating and many of us don’t know where to turn to feel understood. Difficulties conceiving, miscarriage, baby loss, or fertility diagnoses can cause devastating feelings of shock, loss, grief, shame or despair, and can impact your sense of self and your relationships.
You may feel stuck in stasis while friends' and families’ lives are progressing. You may have difficult decisions to make about your body and your future. You may be worried about stress, and how fertility investigations might impact your working life. Perhaps you need support coping with IVF, or other fertility treatments or procedures.
Finding a confidential space to talk through how you are feeling with a qualified professional counsellor can help support you through these difficult times.
I understand the shock and devastation of miscarriage and infertility, and the fear of what lies ahead.
Counselling can support you to process your experiences, understand their impact and make decisions for what lies ahead.
Your life, your needs
Most people choose to work with me because they are experiencing hormone or fertility-related issues (which they may also be navitaging alonside neurodivergence, especially ADHD and/or Autism). However, the topics they bring to our sessions will often relate to other areas in their lives such as relationships, childhood experiences, trauma or mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.
Our bodies can be messy and confusing and can let us down. Clients may raise problems in counselling that they have never spoken to anyone else about before because of feelings of embarrassment or shame, but there is no ‘TMI’ in fertility and menopause counselling. The whole of you and your experience are welcome in our sessions together.
If you have not seen a counsellor before, don't worry, you won't be under any pressure to share anything you don't feel ready to talk about. Find out what to expectin counselling with me.