2024 brought me quite a few personal experiences that deeply reinforced my passion for creating a safe space to support women’s mental health. From seeking help for my ADHD tendencies and realising the impact it has had on my life without knowing it, to navigating the emotional rollercoaster of an unplanned pregnancy that ended in an early miscarriage, to pushing myself into burnout from an overwhelming drive to prove my worth - I can tell you the challenges were many and more than once was I relating to the women in my own online therapy clinic.
Just as my clients, I was fortunate to have a strong support system and a therapist who truly understood the unique complexities women face. But not every woman is so lucky. Time and time again, I hear stories of pain and struggles where their experience is dismissed, minimised, or outright ignored. Often by well-meaning professionals who lack the training or understanding of women’s mental and physical health challenges.
This is why I have become passionate about providing a space where women can feel safe to show up exactly as they are - without fear of judgment, invalidation, or re-traumatisation. Every woman deserves to be heard, understood, and supported on her journey to mental and emotional well-being.
Why Women’s Mental Health Deserves Special Attention
As women, we’re often navigating a perfect storm of societal expectations, biological challenges, and emotional complexities. We’re more likely than men to experience mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. We’re also overrepresented in conditions like eating disorders and autoimmune diseases, and we bear the most of the mental toll of reproductive challenges.
Yet, despite the prevalence of these issues, women have historically been underrepresented in mental health research - or worse, subjected to harmful studies that reinforce stereotypes instead of helping us. This is why therapy tailored specifically to women is important. By offering a space where our unique experiences are not only understood but validated and addressed with care can change so many women's lives.
The Many Faces of Women’s Mental Health
Here is a brief look at some of the most common challenges women face and how they show up in my online therapy practice:
Eating Disorders and Body Image Struggles
Women make up 90% of eating disorder diagnoses. Many clients tell me how societal pressure to achieve perfection - both in appearance and performance - has led to disordered eating or a lifelong battle with self-esteem. In therapy they can unravel these cultural expectations, foster a healthier relationship with food and heal their self-image.
Anxiety and Depression
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to experience anxiety and depression. Hormonal changes, caregiving roles, and workplace stress often amplify these feelings. Therapy can provide tools to manage the mental load and helps women reclaim their emotional well-being.
ADHD in Women
ADHD often looks different in women, manifesting as overwhelm, disorganisation, or internalised shame. Because of these subtler signs, many women are misdiagnosed—or not diagnosed at all. Therapy can help you see a new perspective, untangle mixed emotions, and offer clarity and strategies for managing your ADHD.
Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)
Women who identify as HSP often describe feeling perpetually drained by the sensory overload of modern life. In therapy they come to honour their sensitivity while building resilience against external stressors.
Autoimmune Diseases
Women make up 80% of autoimmune diagnoses. These invisible illnesses often come with emotional isolation, shame, and guilt. Seeking therapy can be really beneficial because it offers a safe space to process the complexity of feelings, connect to yourself amid physical struggles and build confidence and habits that promote well-being.
Reproductive Challenges and PCOS
From infertility and PCOS to miscarriage and postpartum depression, reproductive health carries a heavy emotional toll. These experiences are deeply personal and often lonely, but therapy can help women process their emotions, build self-compassion, create a relationship to themselves that helps them feel able to navigate these challenges with love for themselves.
Trauma and PTSD
Women are disproportionately affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood abuse. If you have had this experience therapy can help you create a space for healing, rebuild self-esteem and connection to yourself and learn that the blame does not lie with you.
Why Specialized Therapy Matters
A Safe Space to Be Yourself
Therapy tailored to women offers a judgment-free space where you can share your struggles without fear of being misunderstood or have your experience dismissed. This kind of safety is essential for healing.
Holistic Approaches That Work
Women’s mental health often requires an integrated approach. For example, addressing body image might involve talk therapy, mindfulness, and habit coaching to create sustainable change. Addressing the mind and body connection is vital, because you can’t convince or force yourself into a way of being - you have to feel and be your way there as well.
Empowering Women to Advocate for Themselves
Whether it’s at the doctor’s office, in a relationship, or in the workplace, therapy equips women with the tools to advocate for their needs confidently. Standing firmly in yourself and your voice doesn’t come easy, but the value it brings is life changing.
Connection and Validation
When women come together in a shared space, they’re reminded that they’re not alone and that their experience is real. This sense of connection can be profoundly healing in itself.
My Mission
As a psychologist and fellow woman, I’m passionate about helping women navigate the unique challenges of their mental health. Because when you work with someone who understands the nuances of womanhood, it creates the potential for a deeper kind of healing.
If you’re struggling with any of the challenges mentioned above - or simply need a space to breathe and reconnect with yourself, therapy can be a transformative tool. You deserve a life filled with self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-trust, and I’d be honoured to help you get there.
Ready to Flourish?
If you’re ready to prioritise your mental health, I invite you to schedule a free consultation. Let’s explore how therapy can help you thrive.