All this at a time when you may already be juggling other life demands with work, family, and ageing parents. Or perhaps you are experiencing life-stage changes such as your children becoming independent, or changes in your relationship with your partner. Perhaps you are trying to manage your menopause symptoms in a workplace that’s not quite menopause friendly.

With all this going on, is it any wonder many women can feel afraid, angry, sad, confused or alone during menopause? A number of women can experience the whole gamut of emotions in one day and then worry that they will never feel their ‘normal’ self again. But it doesn’t have to be like this.

My purpose in setting up Menopause Psychological Services is to support women navigate the perimenopause and post-menopause transition. I offer a personal psychological service to help you:

• make sense of thoughts and feelings that may surface during this time   

• make time for yourself without feeling guilty

• learn techniques that help you let go of the pressure to ‘do everything’

• learn strategies to help gain back a sense of control

• feel confident that the next chapter of life can have meaning and purpose.

I recognise that we are all unique in our experiences and in our physical and psychological make-up. As women, we can read all the literature on menopause, but as the literature is written for a broad audience, it can’t accommodate individual needs and approaches. Menopause is a uniquely personal experience and can be many different things to many different women. Talking about your own experience to a qualified psychologist can help you explore what menopause means to you.

I believe in conversation, talking through processes, fears and experiences together to find a shared understanding of what you are experiencing and how you would like to manage it. I support the use of evidence-based strategies, to help you navigate and manage your menopause in your own way.

Deb Fleck - psychologist, partner, mother, post-menopausal woman