Tag: menopause

4 February 2026
employee mental health • menopause • menopause at work • menopause counselling • mental health •

Menopause & Emotional Wellbeing

Perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause are significant life transitions that can affect mental health and emotional wellbeing as much as physical health. Many women experience changes in mood, anxiety, confidence and emotional regulation during this time — often alongside a sense of feeling less emotionally steady or less like themselves.

This page and our associated resources are informed by the clinical work of a qualified psychotherapist specialising in supporting women through perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. The focus is on understanding emotional changes and supporting mental wellbeing in a way that is realistic, compassionate and appropriate for the workplace.

Supporting mental wellbeing during menopause

Clinically informed support for mental and emotional health during menopause includes:

  • Developing a kinder, steadier inner voice, particularly during periods of increased self-criticism or self-doubt
  • Recognising and allowing for fluctuating emotional capacity, rather than expecting consistency
  • Understanding mood and anxiety changes as part of a recognised life transition, not personal weakness
  • Knowing when and how to seek appropriate professional support, including therapeutic or menopause-informed care

When women are given language and understanding for what they are experiencing, distress is less likely to be met with shame or self-blame and more likely to be met with self-support and timely help.

30-minute workplace workshop

Perimenopause, Menopause & Mental Health

This therapist-led 30-minute workshop is designed for women and focuses on the emotional and psychological impact of perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. Drawing on clinical experience, the session offers a grounded, non-pathologising understanding of common mental health experiences and explores how women can support their emotional wellbeing with greater self-compassion and clarity.

The workshop:

  • Focuses on understanding rather than fixing
  • Supports development of a kinder internal response
  • Normalises emotional and mental health changes
  • Is reflective, inclusive and workplace-appropriate
  • Does not require personal disclosure

Format: 30-minute live session
Audience: Women in peri-, menopause and post-menopause
Delivery: Online
Booking: Available for organisations to book for their employees 

Confidential workplace counselling support

Some women find that understanding and self-support are enough; others may benefit from additional, individual support during this transition. We offer ad hoc confidential workplace counselling for women experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties linked to perimenopause, menopause or post-menopause.

These sessions are:

  • Delivered by a clinically qualified psychotherapist with specialist experience in women’s mental health and menopause
  • Confidential 
  • Available on an ad hoc basis, rather than as a long-term commitment
  • Focused on emotional wellbeing, adjustment and support, not performance

Counselling can support women experiencing persistent low mood, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, loss of confidence, or difficulty adjusting to changes during menopause, within a safe and contained therapeutic space.

If you woudl like more information on this, pleae complete teh form below.

6 December 2024
employee counselling • employee wellbeing • government menopause • makeworkpaymenopause • menopause • menopause at work • menopause counselling • menopause legislation • menopause support • menopause training • menopause workplace • menopauseatwork • menopauselegislation • peri-menopause • Plan to make work pay • workplace counselling •

Empowering Menopausal Women in the Workforce

A key aspect of the new UK government’s Plan to Make Work Pay legislation is its focus on improving support for women navigating peri-menopause and menopause within the workplace environment.

While mental and physical health support has improved in many workplaces, menopausal women are still often met with challenges such as misunderstanding, stigma, and even discrimination at work. This leaves many women feeling forced to leave the workforce at a time when their invaluable experience, knowledge, and skills are needed most.

Mature women bring a wealth of benefits to workplaces, including intelligence, wisdom, resilience, collaborative skills, multitasking abilities, and essential mentorship for younger generations of employees. By supporting menopausal women, you can retain these valuable assets while fostering a more inclusive, productive workplace.

Wellbeing Partners can help you create a comprehensive support program that not only aids menopausal employees but also ensures your organisation complies with the Make Work Pay legislation. We offer a range of tailored services designed to support the unique needs of your workforce:

  1. Specialist Menopause Counselling
    Our menopause counselling services offer a safe space for peri-menopausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal women to address their mental health and wellbeing needs. This can be offered on an ad-hoc or regular basis, depending on your organisation’s requirements.
  2. Menopause Training for Line Managers
    A two-hour, live and interactive training session for your line managers and leaders, aimed at increasing awareness of menopause and its impact on women at work. The training includes key skills for having supportive conversations that foster a collaborative approach to accommodations and flexibility between managers and menopausal workers.
  3. Surviving and Thriving in Menopause
    This one-hour awareness and self-care workshop raises awareness of menopause in the workplace. It focuses on the strengths and contributions that menopausal women bring to society and the workplace, offers insights into menopause symptoms that can impact work, provides a thorough understanding of HRT and other self care tips and techniques for reducing symptoms, as well as advice for creating a more inclusive work environment for menopausal women.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help your organisation support and retain menopausal workers, please get in touch by completing the form below, or email [email protected]

14 March 2023
menopause • menopause workplace •

Supporting Menopause in the Workplace


That menopause is becoming more widely discussed in the workplace is something to be celebrated. There is much hard work, led by women, around increasing the understanding of menopause and removing stigma and shame around this normal, natural phase in women’s lives.  However, as the topic becomes more widely discussed, there is a growing trend for menopausal women to be discussed as a homogenous group, who all share the identical, challenging journey through menopause. This is not the case at all, and it is vital for workplaces to understand the distinctions and vast range of experiences of women, so that they may be supported in a way that is empowering and enables them to thrive at work.

Menopause is a complex and individual experience and encompasses distinct phases of peri-menopause, menopause and post-menopause – lasting an average of 7 years. Symptoms are different for every woman, and mental health-related symptoms in particular evolve and change through these three phases. Around 25% of menopause women experience no symptoms at all, around 50% will likely experience an average of 3 or 4 symptoms that come and go at different times and may interfere with the ability to function at work, while a further 1 in 4 experience symptoms so severe and debilitating that they can struggle to continue with their careers.

Side effects/symptoms

Hot flushes that last for several minutes and result in often unbearable levels of heat and sweat around the face and chest are the most common symptom and can cause a high degree of discomfort, and embarrassment for some, especially at work. Some women experience hot flushes occasionally, while others will have an average of 20 hot flushes per day for several years!  Night sweats and disturbed sleep are also commonplace, with menopausal women being the group most likely to experience chronic insomnia, which can result in exhaustion and concentration lapses at work.

Other common symptoms include severe joint pain, fatigue, vertigo and heart palpitations, thinning hair, dry or itchy skin and acne, and changes in weight and body shape, For many “brain fog” and memory loss are common and highly debilitating symptoms –  something that can be easily misunderstood by managers, and can be very frightening for those women affected.

Menopause, mood and mental health

The various stages of menopause impact many women’s mood and mental health. These can be linked to hormonal and biochemical changes, but mental health issues can also be triggered by thoughts and feelings around the end of fertility, changing appearance or loss of identity during this period of enormous change. It is common for menopausal women to feel grief, shame, fear and resentment.

Irritability is the most common mood complaint, experienced by 70% of menopausal women. It is especially important that organisations and leaders understand the depth of this challenging occurrence.  Strong waves of irritability, anger or rage, can last from several hours to several days, particularly in peri-menopause.

Higher levels of anxiety are reported by 51% of peri- and menopausal women – waves of anxiety can appear quite suddenly, for no apparent reason, and can be very challenging at work in particular, leading to a loss of confidence and self-assurance.

Approximately 20% of menopausal women will experience depression, particularly in the 3 to 4 years after periods stop completely (post-menopause). At its most impactful, depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and feelings, and is therefore something that must be taken extremely seriously.  The highest rate of suicide amongst women in developed countries is in the age-group 45-54 years.  

Fortunately, prescription Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is highly effective in reducing debilitating symptoms for the vast majority of women. And workplaces should promote their mental health support services such as employee assistance providers or, better, in-house counselling services to women, to help navigate the challenges.

How to Support Menopausal Women in the Workplace

There has been an atmosphere of shame and stigma unfairly and outdatedly attached to the menopause for so long, and we need to change that narrative. Organisations and leaders are advised to encourage discussion and acceptance of menopause in the workplace, creating the space for education and conversation.

Key Tips for Workplaces

  • Have a menopause policy and factsheet – well publicised and accessible. There are many great examples of menopause policy templates online
  • Having a “Menopause Champion” in your workplace is helpful for creating an open culture around menopause, and can provide information and support to women as well as other employees
  • All line managers should be trained in menopause awareness, and should develop a willingness to discuss and support the individual needs of menopausal women in their team to help them thrive at work
  • Ensure that menopausal women in your organisation are given opportunities for career development – mature women are highly skilled at collaboration, multitasking, mentorship and bring a wealth of experience ­– and are ideally placed to manage younger generations of workers and their evolving needs
  • Show images of mature women in your marketing and communication materials – all genders and age groups should be represented for the workplace to be fair and equitable

About: Our author, Lou Campbell, is a fully qualified counselling psychotherapist, sleep therapist, Mental Health First Aid instructor and co-founder of Wellbeing Partners. Lou and her team specialise in providing confidential mental health support in workplaces, offer consultancy for HR leaders to ensure every menopausal woman is being supported based on their needs, and provides training to line managers so they are able to understand and support menopausal women in their teams.

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