Online Workshop 4

Wednesday 7 May: 1.30pm - 4.45pm

Menopause in clinical practice: a workshop to increase knowledge and awareness, and to learn evidence-based CBT strategies from the MENOS protocol

Myra S Hunter, Kings College, London

Despite recent media attention, there is considerable uncertainty, as well as polarised views, about what to expect and what can help women during the menopause transition. Women's experience of menopause varies widely, being shaped by social meanings, life adversity, general health, beliefs and expectations, as well as the severity and duration of symptoms and hormonal changes. In daily practice psychological therapists are likely to see many women who are seeking help for anxiety, depression or other physical/emotional problems, who are peri or postmenopausal. 

This workshop will provide: an evidence-based information about menopause using a biopsychosocial framework; and an update on the 2024 NICE guidance on menopause that recommends that health professionals offer CBT as an option for vasomotor symptoms, depressed mood and sleep problems. Participants will feel more confident discussing menopause and helping women to understand the factors affecting their experience and to make informed treatment choices. CBT strategies from the MENOS CBT protocol will be presented that can be incorporated into clinical practice.

 Key learning objectives

• To increase knowledge and awareness of menopause
• To understand relationships between menopause and mental health
• To introduce cognitive behaviour therapy for menopausal symptoms
• To consider how you might implement this in your clinical practice

Myra S Hunter, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Health Psychology at King’s College London, has worked as a clinician and researcher in the area of women’s health for over 40 years. She has developed and evaluated cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) interventions for physical and emotional problems, in women’s health, oncology and cardiology. Her work has shown that CBT can effectively reduce the impact of menopausal symptoms on women’s lives. She was Advisor to the Core Development Group for NICE Guidance on Menopause 2015, and a member of the Menopause Clinical Reference Group NHS England. She has published over 200 journal articles and 10 books and her research on menopause has established her as an international expert in the field.

Key references

Living Well through the Menopause. Myra Hunter & Melanie Smith, Robinson 2021.

Managing Hot flushes and Night sweats: a CBT Self-help guide to the menopause. Myra Hunter & Melanie Smith, Routledge 2nd Ed 2021.

Managing Hot Flushes with Group CBT: Manual for Health Professionals. Myra Hunter & Melanie Smith, Routledge 2015.

Fact Sheet: CBT for health professionals on the BMS website, and CBT for women on the Women’s Health Concern website: www.womens-health-concern.org/help-and-advice/factsheets