Some transitions arrive quietly. Others turn everything upside down.
For many women, midlife brings a particular kind of pressure, one that's hard to name and even harder to ask for help with. This is the work I do.
You've always been the one holding it together.
Maybe you can't quite put your finger on it. You're showing up, keeping everything moving, but something feels off. You're not quite yourself. The things that used to feel manageable feel heavier than they should.
For many women, this is where perimenopause begins. Not with a clear announcement, but with a quiet shift that can take months or years to name. You're not imagining it, and you don't have to navigate it alone.
"You don't need to be in crisis to deserve support. Sometimes the most important thing is simply having a space where you can be honest about how you're really doing."
Perimenopause and the brain - what's actually happening.
Perimenopause can begin years before periods stop, sometimes as early as the late thirties. And while most people talk about the physical symptoms, the psychological ones are often more disorienting.
Fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone affect the brain directly, influencing mood, sleep, memory, and emotional regulation. Many women notice a significant increase in anxiety, low mood, irritability, or emotional sensitivity, often without making the connection to hormonal change.
It's not a mental health condition. But it can feel exactly like one. And that distinction matters, because the support that helps is different too.
Some of what women commonly describe during this time:
"I've always been anxious, but it's so much worse now"
"I don't recognise myself"
"My bloods are normal but something is definitely not right"
"I feel rageful and then immediately guilty about it"
WHAT THERAPY CAN LOOK LIKE AT THIS STAGE.
Sessions often start with simply making sense of what's been happening. For many women, just having the space to say it out loud, without editing, without reassuring anyone else, is itself a relief.
From there, we might explore the patterns that have served you well but are starting to cost you. The ways you've learned to manage, push through, stay steady. What you actually want now, versus what you've always assumed you should want.
I draw on a range of approaches including CBT, ACT, DBT, and Internal Family Systems, but the work is always led by you. Some sessions are practical. Some go deeper. Most move between the two.
What I'm aiming for isn't a fixed outcome. It's a greater sense of ease. With yourself, and with what's ahead.
"Therapy isn't about fixing what's broken. It's about having a space to understand what's actually happening — and to find your way back to yourself."
what brings women to therapy.
There's no right time to start therapy, and no level of difficulty you need to reach first.
01. Perimenopause & midlife
Mood changes, anxiety, sleep disruption, a shifting sense of identity or simply feeling like your body and mind are doing something unfamiliar.
02. Anxiety & overwhelm
A constant low hum of worry, difficulty switching off, or a creeping sense that you're just barely keeping up.
03. Burnout
Exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, emotional numbness, or feeling like you're going through the motions.
04. Relationship strain
Navigating change in partnerships, friendships, family dynamics, or your relationship with yourself.
05. Identity & transitions
Children leaving home, career pivots, significant loss, or simply asking who am I now, and " What do I actually want?”.
06. Mood & stress
Emotional reactivity, low mood, and difficulty managing the day-to-day. You don't need a diagnosis to benefit from therapy.
Nearly a decade in independent private practice.
As an independent practitioner, I work with a small number of clients at a time, which means the care is genuinely personal. I know your story, I hold your context, and you never have to start from scratch.
I'm a member of the Australasian Menopause Society (AMS) and stay current with the latest research in women's midlife mental health.
I draw on a range of evidence-based approaches, including CBT, ACT, DBT and Internal Family Systems, but the most important thing is that sessions feel like a genuine conversation, not a clinical exercise. We go at your pace. I'll be honest with you. And you don't need to have it figured out before you arrive.
"I chose to go into private practice because I wanted to be able to provide the kind of care and support that I would like to be able to access myself."
Ready when you are.
When you're ready, or even just curious - I'd love to hear from you. Same-week appointments are often available, face-to-face in Lane Cove or via Telehealth.