within the scope of compassionate and informed psychological care

She comes to therapy because she’s suffering, though on the surface, no one would know. Her best friend seems to be sailing through menopause without a hitch, still sleeping soundly, still herself, while she quietly unravels. Her body aches in ways she can’t explain. Anxiety hums beneath everything. Sleep, once reliable, has turned against her. Mornings bring exhaustion; evenings bring dread. She’s lost interest in things she used to love, and she can’t name exactly what’s wrong — only that life feels dimmer, smaller, harder to hold together. Her husband says he misses her. She scrolls through advice columns and doctors’ websites but finds little that truly fits. She now mostly relies on Instagram and Facebook groups for support and additional resources, but it’s a challenge to know who and what to trust. The truth is, every woman’s experience of midlife is different. For some, it’s a gentle recalibration; for others, it’s a full-body scream, a neurological, hormonal, and emotional storm that touches every corner of being. In therapy, we begin by naming what’s happening, lifting it from the realm of shame or mystery and into understanding and knowledge so healing can finally begin.

As a psychotherapist and coach licensed in New York who works extensively with women in midlife and beyond, I see how often confusion, misinformation, and outdated medical narratives add unnecessary suffering to an already complex life stage.