Menopause Therapy in Chicago, Illinois
Specializing in mental health for the menopause transition, anxiety, depression, mid-life, parent coaching and support, relationship issues, and grief.
Menopause Counseling in Chicago, Illinois
Are You Exhausted, Overwhelmed, and Wondering What Is Happening to Your Body and Mind while Living through the Menopause Transition?
You wake up and you still feel so tired. The kind of tired that settles into your bones and follows you through the day no matter what you do. You never feel fully rested. And yet the list of things demanding your attention does not get shorter.
You are trying to hold so much at once. Your family's needs. Your job. Your household. And somewhere at the bottom of that list, almost as an afterthought, yourself. You know you are supposed to take care of you too, and yet finding the space for that feels almost laughable some days. There is just so much.
And it is all made so much worse because your mind and body feel like they are working against you as you approach and live through perimenopause and menopause.
Your thoughts do not always feel as clear as they used to. You find yourself mid-sentence and the word is just gone. You walk into a room and forget why you are there. Some moments, you worry that you might be losing your memory. You are constantly angry in a way that surprises even you, and you find yourself with no patience for anything or anyone, including the people you love most. The guilt caused by the explosive anger adds to the heavy emotional burden.
And then there is your body. What is going on with your body? It feels so unpredictable and untrustworthy. It simply is not working like it used to, and no one prepared you for how unsettling that would feel. The changes arrive constantly and without asking. It feels like your body and your mind are conspiring against you, and that you are powerless in the middle of it all. It is so hard to be getting older and dealing with life while also managing all the things that are outside of your control.
You are doing everything you know how to do. And it still feels like not enough.
But You Are Still Here. And That Matters.
The fact that you are reading this, that you are searching for something, means that some part of you has not given up on feeling better.
Underneath the exhaustion and the anger and the forgetting and the overwhelm, you still exist. A person who knows what they value, even if they have lost touch with it. A person who wants more than just survival. Who wants to feel like themself again.
I’m Sarah and I’m a Therapist who Specializes in Menopause Mental Health.
Ready to Schedule Your Free Consult for counseling in Chicago?
Therapy for Women Living Through Menopause in the greater Chicago area That Meets You Where You Are
Sarah Schufreider, LCSW Counselor in Chicago, Illinois Specializing in Menopause Mental Health
I'm Sarah Schufreider, LCSW, and I help women experiencing perimenopause and menopause in the Chicago area and Illinois who are stressed and overwhelmed trying to navigate body, mind, and hormone changes while also managing family responsibilities, career pressures, friendships, and the ongoing project of taking care of themselves.
I know how much you are carrying. And I know that what you need is not someone to hand you a checklist or tell you to practice more self-care. What you need is someone who will actually sit with you in the middle of it and help you figure out how to manage all the changes.
I work in a down to earth, real way. You can expect genuine collaboration and transparency about the process. plenty of space to process the hard stuff, with equal room for humor and joy. Because even in the difficult times, there is space for both.
For more than 17 years, I have worked with people from many walks of life, across settings that include domestic violence programs, inpatient hospitals, a homeless Veteran shelter, and outpatient private practice. I have sat with people in some of the most painful and complex moments of their lives. I often tell new clients, joking but also meaning every word of it: "I've seen a lot. Nothing you tell me will make me fall out of my chair." And nothing has yet!
That wealth of experience means that you do not have to worry about whether you are too much, too messy, or too complicated. You are not! You are safe to be honest here.
I see clients via Telehealth every week so that you have consistent, steady support and can move out of feeling like you are in constant crisis mode. Clients often find that weekly sessions help them build real momentum and feel like they are making real progress to feeling more like themselves.
My Approach To the Work
My approach to therapy is built on three deeply held beliefs:
1) You are the expert in your own life. I bring mental health expertise and help facilitate the process, but you know yourself and your life better than anyone. This is a fully collaborative process, and that shapes every session.
2) I work from a strengths-based perspective. That does not mean we ignore the things that are hard or that you want to change. It means we also take seriously what is already working. Motivation for change often grows as you become more aware of the places where you already have real capacity and solid skills. We build from what is strong, not only from what feels broken.
3) I am a big believer in the mind-body connection. How you feel physically affects your mental health, and how you feel mentally affects your body. These are not separate conversations. When clients are open to it, I often integrate breathwork, mindfulness, body awareness, and meditation into our sessions. In addition to being a licensed clinical social worker, I am also a registered yoga teacher (RYT200) and certified in Trauma Informed Yoga. That does not mean you will be doing down dog in every session (although please feel free if it calls to you)! What it means is that yoga's deep attention to the relationship between mind and body shapes how I understand and approach the work.
Over time, clients often notice that as they begin to align their values with their actions, things shift in ways that feel real and lasting. Quality of life improves. Relationships change. And perhaps most importantly, the belief that you can manage your life and actually thrive in it starts to feel less like a distant hope and more like something genuinely within reach.
You Do Not Have to Keep Doing This All On Your Own!
Perimenopause and menopause are transitions. They are transitions that affect your body, your mind, your relationships, and your sense of self all at once. And you deserve real support. You do not have to figure this out alone.
If you are ready to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling more in control of your body, your mind, and your life, I would love to connect. Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation by calling 657-217-7641 or filling out the contact information below. That one conversation could be the beginning of feeling like yourself again.
Frequently Asked Questions About Menopause Therapy in Chicago
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Therapy for menopause and perimenopause is similar to general therapy, but with a therapist who specializes in understanding the specific emotional, cognitive, and physical challenges that come with perimenopause and menopause. While general therapy addresses mental health broadly, working with a therapist who specializes in the transitions of menopause means you do not have to spend your sessions explaining why you feel the way you do or convincing someone that what you are experiencing is real. Sarah brings both clinical expertise and genuine familiarity with this life stage, so the work can go deeper, faster.
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The fact that you have been trying to handle it on your own is not a sign of strength alone. It is also a sign of how much you have been carrying without support. Therapy is not for people who cannot cope. It is for people who are tired of coping alone and are ready for something to actually change. You have already proven you can survive this. Therapy is about learning to thrive.
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Sessions are held virtually, which means you can connect from wherever you are most comfortable. Sarah is licensed in the state of Illinois, which means she can see clients who reside within the state. Sarah works in a down to earth, collaborative way. At the beginning and throughout the work, psychoeducation will be provided to better understand what is happening in your mind and body and assess the various impact that different factors are having on your life. Some sessions will focus on processing difficult emotions or life circumstances. Others might incorporate breathwork, mindfulness, or body-based practices when that feels useful. There is also genuine room for humor and lightness, because healing does not have to feel heavy every single week.
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DesIt does not have to be neatly labeled to be worth addressing. Many women come to therapy during perimenopause or menopause without a clear diagnosis, only a sense that something has shifted and that they are struggling. The menopause transition is not only a physical one, but a long lasting physical, emotional, and cognitive transition time that can affect all aspects of your life. In fact, the perimenopause transition can last up to 10 years! Whether you are in the thick of menopause, in the years leading up to it, or simply navigating a season of life that feels harder than it should, therapy can help. You do not need a diagnosis to deserve support.
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That depends entirely on you, your goals, and what you want from the process. Many clients begin to notice meaningful shifts within the first several months of consistent weekly sessions. Sarah works collaboratively with each client to revisit goals over time and adjust the work as needed. There is no predetermined timeline, and you are always in the driver's seat. You don’t need to be in therapy forever. The goal is to get you to a place where you feel comfortable to utilize the skills you learned in therapy in your everyday life.
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That is a fair question and an important one. Therapy works best when there is a good fit between the client, the therapist, and the approach. Sarah's style is direct, real, and collaborative. She does not use a one-size-fits-all model. If you have felt unheard, dismissed, or like the work did not quite fit your life, this may feel different. The free 15-minute consultation is a good place to find out.
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Research consistently shows that virtual therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy.
Teleheath can be utilized to help with a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, and life transitions like menopause. Many clients find that the flexibility of virtual sessions actually makes it easier to show up consistently, which is one of the strongest predictors of good outcomes in therapy. Many clients even express surprise at how much they like virtual therapy, even if they initially wanted in person sessions.
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This is extremely common. Anxiety and depression frequently accompany perimenopause and menopause due to hormonal shifts, sleep disruption, and the weight of navigating so much change at once. Sarah has extensive experience working with anxiety, depression, and trauma alongside the specific challenges of this life stage. You do not have to choose which part of your experience gets attention.
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Yes. Sarah has worked in domestic violence programs and has extensive experience supporting survivors of trauma and intimate partner violence. This is work she takes seriously and approaches with care, skill, and deep respect for each person's pace and process.
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I am in network for most Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois PPO plans.
For those who have other insurance, I can help you connect with your out of network insurance benefits and provide a Super Bill to assist you with seeking reimbursement for your sessions.
My current rate for a 50 minute therapy session is $225.
For more detailed information on session fees and insurance, please reach out directly. Sarah offers a free 15-minute consultation so you can ask questions and get the information you need before making any decisions.
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It means that while we absolutely make space for what is hard and what you want to change, we also pay attention to what is already working in your life. You have real skills, real resilience, and real capacity, even if it is hard to see that right now. Building awareness of those strengths does not minimize the pain. It creates a more stable foundation from which to do the harder work.
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Not at all. The body-based practices Sarah integrates, including breathwork, mindfulness, meditation, and body awareness, are always offered as options, never requirements. If they appeal to you, they can become a meaningful part of your work together. If they do not feel right for you, that is completely fine. The work adapts to you, not the other way around.
