Compassionate, evidence-based help for navigating perimenopause and menopause
Feel Like Yourself Again Through Menopause and Beyond
Confidential, supportive therapy to help you manage mood changes, anxiety, sleep problems, and life transitions during perimenopause and menopause.
What therapy can help you with:
- Reduce overwhelm, irritability, and low mood
- Cope with anxiety, brain fog, and sleep issues
- Improve relationships and communication
- Reconnect with your identity, body, and confidence
What Is Menopause & Perimenopause?
Menopause marks the end of your menstrual cycles, typically diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 consecutive months without a period. For most women, this happens between ages 45 and 55, though the timing varies considerably. Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause, often beginning several years earlier, when your ovaries gradually produce less oestrogen. Post-menopause refers to the years following your final period.
Everyone’s experience is different. Some women sail through with minimal disruption, whilst others find themselves completely blindsided by the intensity of symptoms. There’s no single “normal” trajectory, which can make this time feel isolating when your experience doesn’t match what you’ve been told to expect.
Common Physical Symptoms
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Sleep disturbances and fatigue
- Changes in libido and sexual discomfort
- Weight changes and body image concerns
Common Emotional & Mental Health Symptoms
- Low mood, depression, or tearfulness
- Anxiety, worry, and panic
- Irritability, anger, or mood swings
- Brain fog, concentration problems, memory issues
- Loss of confidence or sense of self
These symptoms aren’t just “in your head.” Hormonal fluctuations profoundly affect neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood, sleep, and cognitive function. The physical changes are real, and so are the emotional consequences.
How Menopause Can Impact Your Life
The effects of menopause ripple outwards and can affect all aspects of your daily life. Experiencing menopause, you may notice strain in areas of life that previously felt manageable.
At Home & in Relationships
Your partner or family members may struggle to understand why you’re suddenly more irritable, withdrawn or tearful. They might take your mood changes personally, leading to miscommunications and conflict. You could feel misunderstood or dismissed when you try to explain what’s happening. Some women describe feeling like they’re walking on eggshells in their own homes, worried about their next emotional outburst whilst simultaneously feeling guilty for needing more space or support.
Sexual intimacy can become fraught. Physical discomfort from vaginal dryness or a diminished libido can strain even strong relationships, particularly if you or your partner find it difficult to discuss these changes openly.
At Work
Concentration difficulties and memory lapses can be genuinely frightening, especially if your professional identity has always been tied to being sharp and reliable. You might worry about your performance being scrutinised or fear that colleagues will attribute mistakes to your competence rather than hormonal shifts. Managing hot flashes in meetings or navigating sleep deprivation whilst maintaining professionalism adds another layer of stress.
For women in demanding careers or leadership positions, there’s often an additional pressure to hide any vulnerability, to not be seen as “past it” or somehow diminished by a natural biological process.
Sense of Self & Identity
Perhaps the most profound impact is on your sense of who you are. If you’ve always been someone who manages everything competently, suddenly feeling out of control can be destabilising. You might grieve the loss of your fertility, even if you never wanted more children or never had children at all. There’s a peculiar mourning that happens when a door closes, even if you never intended to walk through it.
Body changes can trigger complex feelings about ageing in a culture that seems to worship youth. You might catch yourself wondering, “Who am I now?” or “What’s next for me?” These existential questions deserve space and consideration, yet they often go unspoken.
How Therapy Can Help During Menopause
Therapy offers a structured, compassionate space where you can make sense of what you’re going through and develop practical tools to navigate this transition. It’s not about “fixing” you (you’re not broken) but about providing support whilst your body and mind adapt to significant changes.
Regulate Mood & Manage Anxiety
Hormonal fluctuations can intensify anxious thoughts and negative thinking patterns. CBT techniques are particularly effective here, helping you identify and challenge catastrophising, rumination, and the harsh self-criticism that often accompanies menopause. You’ll learn to recognise when your anxious brain is catastrophising (“This hot flash means something is seriously wrong with me”) and develop more balanced perspectives.
For low mood and tearfulness, therapy provides tools to interrupt negative spirals before they become overwhelming. We work on building emotional resilience, so setbacks don’t feel quite so devastating.
Coping with Physical Symptoms
Whilst therapy doesn’t replace medical treatment but can work in parallel. Stress-reduction techniques, relaxation exercises, and improved sleep strategies can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. When you’re less anxious overall, your nervous system isn’t constantly on high alert, and this can ease physical symptoms.
Mindfulness practices help you observe physical sensations without becoming consumed by them. Instead of thinking “Not another hot flash, this is unbearable,” you might notice “My body is regulating temperature right now. This will pass.”
Relationship & Communication Support
Couples counselling can be invaluable during this time. Your partner is likely genuinely bewildered by changes they’re witnessing and they may be unsure how to help. Therapy provides a neutral space where both of you can express needs, fears, and frustrations. We can help your partner understand what you’re experiencing physiologically and emotionally, and offer practical strategies for maintaining intimacy and connection.
Through couples therapy you can develop skills to express what you need more clearly, set healthy boundaries without guilt, and navigate the inevitable tensions that arise during major life transitions.
Psychosexual Therapy for Menopause
For sexual difficulties related to menopause such as decreased libido, painful intercourse, body image concerns, sex therapy may be a good fit. This approach allows you to address both physical and psychological barriers to intimacy and explore how menopause may be affecting your experience of sex, sexuality or desires.
Our team of experienced Psychosexual and Relationship therapists can work with you on issues of sexual function, desire and relationships as they relate to your experience of menopause.
Body Image & Self-Esteem
Many women describe feeling betrayed by their bodies during menopause. Weight gain, skin changes, and other physical transformations can trigger shame and self-criticism. Therapy helps you address these feelings with compassion rather than judgment.
Through therapy, you will have the opportunity to work on building your self-acceptance and challenging the internalised messages about what women “should” look like at different life stages. This isn’t about pretending you don’t care about changes; it’s about developing a more balanced relationship with your body and yourself.
Life Transitions & Meaning
Menopause often coincides with other significant transitions: children leaving home, ageing parents requiring care, career shifts, or relationship changes. These compounding factors can feel overwhelming. Therapy helps you explore questions of identity, purpose, and what you want from this next phase of life.
There’s real grief work to be done here, mourning what’s ending whilst making space for what’s beginning. Many women discover unexpected strengths and freedoms during this time, but that discovery requires space to process and reflect.
Collaboration with Medical Providers
Whilst we don’t prescribe medication or hormone replacement therapy, we recognise that psychological support is most effective when it’s part of a comprehensive approach to your health. If you’re considering HRT or already taking it, therapy can help you navigate that decision and manage any concerns that arise.
Our Approach to Menopause Therapy
Therapeutic Approaches
The therapists who work with us at Mind and Body Works take an integrative, humanistic approach. This means that our therapists tailor the tools that they use to your specific needs.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has strong evidence for managing anxiety and depression related to menopause.
- Mindfulness-based approaches to help you stay grounded in the present moment rather than spiralling into worry about the future or regret about the past.
Our approach is trauma-informed, recognising that menopause can reactivate past experiences or losses.
What Makes Our Support Different
With specialised experience working with women during perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause, therapists at Mind and Body Works understand the specific psychological and emotional challenges of this life stage.
Our therapists create a warm, non-judgmental atmosphere where you won’t be dismissed or told “it’s just hormones”. Your feelings matter, whether they’re driven by hormones, circumstances, or both.
We’re inclusive of all people who experience menopause. Whilst we typically use female pronouns in our materials, we recognise that trans men and non-binary individuals also go through menopause and deserve affirming, competent care. We’re LGBTQ+ inclusive.
We offer neurodiverse-affirming therapy and understand that conditions like ADHD can intersect with menopause in complex ways, often intensifying symptoms. Read Mind and Body Works ADHD Specialist, Keelin Rea’s article on the intersection of ADHD and Menopause for more information.
What our therapists have to say
“Whilst the average age for menopause is 45-55, many people who menstruate may experience perimenopausal symptoms much earlier. Research suggests neurodivergent individuals and those who have experienced trauma may feel menopausal symptoms more acutely. I provide a space for people to discuss the impact of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms on their life.”
– Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist, offering online therapy for menopause with Mind and Body Works
What to Expect in Menopause Therapy
First Session
Your initial appointment is about you and your therapist getting to know one another. You will have the opportunity to share your symptoms, your history, and what you’re hoping to achieve through therapy. There’s no pressure to share everything immediately, you’ll tell your story at your own pace.
Together with your therapist you will explore what’s brought you to therapy, what’s working (or not working) in your current situation. This session is about you getting a sense of whether you and your therapist are a good fit and about your therapist getting an understanding of your needs.
Ongoing Sessions
Therapy is collaborative. Together, we’ll set goals that matter to you, whether that’s reducing panic attacks, improving communication with your partner, or simply feeling more like yourself again. You’ll learn and practise coping skills during sessions, then apply them in your daily life.
We regularly check in on what’s working and adjust our approach accordingly. Some techniques resonate immediately; others take time or need modification. This flexibility ensures therapy remains relevant and helpful.
Session Logistics
Sessions typically last 50 minutes and are scheduled weekly, though frequency can be adjusted based on your needs and progress. We offer both online and in-person appointments at our clinics in Dublin and Galway.
Online therapy might be particularly convenient if you’re juggling work, caring responsibilities, or simply don’t have the energy for travel after a sleepless night. The therapeutic quality remains the same whether you’re sitting in our office or joining from your own home.
We offer individual therapy as well as couples sessions, if relationship difficulties are a primary concern.
Who This Service Is For
This service might be right for you if:
- You’re in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause and feeling emotionally overwhelmed by the changes
- You’re noticing shifts in your mood, sleep, or thinking that worry you
- You feel alone, dismissed, or misunderstood when you try to explain what you’re experiencing
- You’re navigating relationship difficulties, career changes, or other life transitions alongside hormonal shifts
- You’ve tried “just pushing through” and it’s not working anymore
- You’re concerned about anxiety, depression, or panic symptoms that have intensified during this time
- You want support processing grief about ageing, fertility, or changing identity
- You’re experiencing sexual difficulties or body image concerns related to menopause
If you’re struggling, you deserve support. Your concerns don’t need to reach a certain threshold of “seriousness” to warrant professional help.
Practical Information
Fees & Insurance
Each therapist sets their own fee, which can range between €80 – €120 depending on the therapist you choose and the kind of therapy you are looking for.
Many health insurance providers in Ireland cover counselling sessions. It’s worth checking your policy details or contacting your insurer to ask about mental health benefits. Even partial coverage can make therapy more accessible.
Location & Availability
In-person locations:
- Dublin: We have clinics in Dublin city centre (Dublin 2), in Donnybrook (Dublin 4) and Dundrum (Dublin 14), offering convenient access across the capital.
- Galway: Our Galway practices are located centrally on Dominick Street and Woodquay.
Online therapy: We provide comprehensive video counselling for clients anywhere on the island of Ireland. Online sessions are as effective as in-person therapy and offer added convenience and privacy.
How to Get Started
Getting started is straightforward:
- Contact us directly. You can book an initial appointment through our website. There’s no need for a GP referral, though it can be helpful to keep your GP informed about any support you’re accessing.
- Discuss your needs. If you would like some assistance in selecting your therapist or making a booking, our team is happy to help you identify a therapist who’s suitable for your needs. Let us know whether you prefer online or face-to-face sessions, the issues you hope to work on, and any other preferences you might have. You can reach us by phone by calling 01 677 1021 or email at enquiries@mindandbodyworks.com. We are happy to support you however we can.
- Connecting with your therapist. Once you have made the first step and booked your appointment, your therapist will contact you directly to confirm the appointment either by phone or email. At this point you can ask any questions you might have for your therapist before you meet for your first session.
Be gentle with yourself during this process. Starting therapy is a significant step and feeling nervous or vulnerable is completely normal. Our therapists create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can express yourself freely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is what I’m feeling normal during menopause?
If you’re experiencing mood swings, anxiety, tearfulness, irritability, or feeling unlike yourself, yes, these are common responses to hormonal changes. That said, “normal” doesn’t mean you have to simply endure them. About three in four Irish adults have experienced anxiety at some point, and three in five have dealt with depression. These experiences are prevalent, but they’re also treatable.
How is menopause therapy different from talking to my doctor or friends?
Your GP can address the medical aspects of menopause, including prescribing HRT or other treatments. Friends offer invaluable support and understanding. Therapy provides something distinct: a confidential, structured space with a trained professional who can help you develop specific coping strategies, process complex emotions, and work through relationship or identity issues. It’s not about choosing one form of support over another; ideally, they work together.
Can therapy help if I’m also taking HRT or other medications?
Absolutely. In fact, combining psychological support with medical treatment often produces the best outcomes. HRT can address hormonal symptoms, whilst therapy helps you develop emotional regulation skills, improve relationships, and navigate the broader life transitions that accompany menopause. We work collaboratively with your medical providers to ensure you receive comprehensive care.
How long does menopause therapy usually last?
This varies considerably depending on your goals and circumstances. Some may find that eight to twelve sessions provide significant relief and equips them with sufficient coping tools. Others prefer ongoing support throughout the transition, attending monthly or as needed. You and your therapist will review your progress regularly and adjust the frequency and duration based on what’s working for you.
I feel embarrassed talking about sex and body changes. Will you judge me?
Not at all. Sexual difficulties and body image concerns during menopause are extraordinarily common (affecting roughly half of women), yet they’re rarely discussed openly. Our therapists are trained professionals who’ve heard it all before. We create a space where these topics can be explored without shame or judgment. Your comfort is paramount; you’ll never be pushed to discuss anything before you’re ready.
Do you offer online therapy for menopause?
Yes. Online therapy is as effective as in-person counselling for most people and offers added convenience. You can attend sessions from the privacy of your own home, which is particularly helpful if you’re managing caring responsibilities, work commitments, or simply don’t have the energy for travel. Sessions are conducted via secure video platform, ensuring confidentiality.
Additional Support and Resources:
The Irish Menopause is a blog an online support network by and for Irish women experiencing menopause: https://www.theirishmenopause.com/
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
Menopause is a significant life transition, but it doesn’t have to be a crisis. With the right support, you can move through this period with greater understanding, resilience, and perhaps discover unexpected strengths along the way.
Whether you’re dealing with relationship difficulties, struggling with your sense of identity, managing anxiety or depression, or simply feeling lost in this new phase of life, therapy can help you find your way. You deserve to feel seen, heard, and supported as you navigate this chapter.
If you’re ready to explore how therapy might support you through menopause, or if you’d like to discuss what counselling could look like for your specific situation, we’re here.
