Women’s Mental Health Conference
CPD Credits
6
Event Type
Recorded Event
Location
Zoom & Recording
Standard
£80.00
Trainee/NHS
68.00
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Women’s Mental Health Conference

Women’s Mental Health Conference

The impact of physiology, hormones, cycles on mood and states of mind

With Dr Letticia Banton, Martha Doniach, Dr Sheetal Rajashankar, Dr Sue Mann & Dr Jo O'Reilly (Chair)

A cartesian split in the profession has led psychotherapists to overlook the role of the hormones, the menstrual cycle and menopause in the female psychological experience. Conversely, medical professionals report women seeking solely medical solutions for their menstrual or menopausal symptoms, without exploration of psychological avenues.

This event seeked to bridge this gap in mind and body through adopting more holistic lens on the menstrual cycle and menopause as biopsychosocial phenomena, which require joined up thinking across the medical and psychological professions, to enhance outcomes for clients. Dr Sue Mann, the National Clinical Director in Women’s Health for NHS England was the keynote as well as speakers from the disciplines of Endocrinology, Psychiatry, Counselling Psychology and Psychoanalytic Couple Psychotherapy.

Thinking about the menstrual cycle and menopause raises important questions for psychotherapists: How can we effectively support clients struggling with the impact of menstrual or menopausal symptoms? How might a person’s menstrual symptoms be contextualised within a broader psychodynamic formulation? Where do the limits of psychological support lie before medical exploration is necessary, and vice versa? Our speakers discussed and debated how female hormonal health is currently conceptualised and managed, and how structural misogyny, marginalisation and stigma may prevent clients from seeking and obtaining the holistic support they need.

 

Programme

Registration and Coffee
Dr Jo O'Reilly, Consultant Psychiatrist in Medical Psychotherapy 
Welcome and introductions
Dr Sue Mann, National Clinical Director in Women’s Health for NHS England
Referrals to a Specialist Women’s Health Service

Dr Mann will discuss two cases referred through General Practice to a specialist women’s health service.  One, a young patient in her twenties with pre-existing history of depression with symptoms exacerbated in the second half of the menstrual cycle and the other in her early forties with new onset symptoms of depression and anxiety. Both patients attribute symptoms to hormonal fluctuations.  There will be a discussion of the biomedical theories that underpin the relationship between hormones and mood, the challenges within a medical gynaecological setting of broadening a consultation beyond hormones and how to help patients to consider the wider context and maximise the impact of what is usually a single interaction. 

Q&A
Martha Doniach, Psychoanalytic Couple Psychotherapist
Hormonal Shifts and Couple Dynamics, a Psychotherapeutic Perspective

This presentation discusses a composite psychotherapy case involving a couple whose relationship is adversely affected by the cyclical influence of hormonal fluctuations. Changes in mood, desire, and conflict are examined as they relate to unconscious dynamics between the partners, illustrating how menstrual and menopausal experiences can influence relational life. Part of the presentation considers how ignoring hormonal factors can perpetuate a mind–body divide, and how interdisciplinary approaches may support clinicians in addressing the psychological and relational impacts of hormonal change within a broader biopsychosocial framework.

Q&A
Lunch (included for in person attendees)
Dr Letticia Banton, Chartered Counselling Psychologist & Integrative Psychotherapist
Hormonal Shifts and Self States in a Psychotherapy Case

This case study will consider a 42-year-old female client who came into therapy at a crossroads in her life where she felt intense loneliness and existential uncertainty about her work, marriage and experience of daily living. She reported symptoms of anxiety, sleeplessness and being unable to focus and questioned if she had ADHD or bipolar disorder. Introducing the concept of ‘menstrual cycle awareness’ helped to track the embodied lived experience in relationship to her hormonal cycles. This included a growing awareness of a regression to young, vulnerable self-states during the pre-menstrual phase of her cycle combined with a pulling away from her partner. Through psychotherapy the client was able to process early experiences which were felt to be more present in the premenstrual phase of the cycle, developing a capacity for self-compassion and a buffering and developing resilience and containment through the ovulatory phase of the cycle. Letticia will also discuss how a turning point came when she sought out a female hormone medical assessment and began HRT.

Q&A
Afternoon Break
Sheetal Rajashanker, Consultant Psychiatrist 
Hormone Sensitivity and Psychiatric Perspectives

From a psychiatric standpoint, hormone sensitivity plays a significant role in women’s experiences of mood and behavioural instability. Increasing evidence indicates that individuals with sensitive temperaments, histories of trauma, or underlying neurodevelopmental conditions—such as ADHD or autism spectrum disorder—may be particularly vulnerable to emotional dysregulation during periods of hormonal fluctuation. Hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle, postpartum period, and perimenopause can interact with neurobiological and psychological vulnerabilities, amplifying symptoms associated with conditions such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and other affective or personality disorders. This complex interplay underscores the importance of an integrative, biopsychosocial approach—combining endocrine evaluation, psychiatric formulation, and tailored psychotherapeutic or pharmacological interventions. A psychiatrist’s perspective can also help to clarify patterns of misdiagnosis, challenge stigma surrounding women’s emotional experiences, and inform more nuanced and effective treatment strategies that recognise the hormonal and neurodevelopmental interfaces in women’s mental health.

Q&A
Final Panel Session
Drinks Reception
End

Dr Letticia Banton

Letticia is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist (BPS and HCPC) and an integrative psychotherapist (UKCP). She holds a doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute, London. Her doctoral research is an interpretative phenomenological analysis on cisgendered female clients’ experience of their menstrual cycle in therapy with a male therapist. She is an advocate for integrating overlooked issues, such as the menstruality and menopause, into contemporary psychotherapeutic theory, research and practice. Her broader clinical and research interests include a focus on gender and sexuality, and she has considerable therapeutic experience working with transgender and non-binary people.

Martha Doniach

Martha Doniach, MA, UKCP, BPC, is an adult and couple psychoanalytic psychotherapist. She previously served as Principal Psychotherapist at East London NHS Foundation Trust, where she led the psychodynamic team and developed a highly regarded honorary training scheme for psychotherapists. Martha teaches, supervises, and consults widely, including for Tavistock Relationships, the British Psychotherapy Foundation, and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Her clinical and research interests include women’s hormonal and reproductive health, solo motherhood by choice, infertility, and the integration of medical and psychological approaches in assisted conception and hormonal care. She has recently written a journal article on solo motherhood (in press) and contributed to the book "Couples as Parents," edited by Kate Thompson and Damian McCann. Martha maintains a full-time private practice in London and serves on the editorial board of "Couple and Family Psychoanalysis."

Dr Sheethal Rajashanker

Dr. Sheethal Rajashanker is a Consultant Psychiatrist with over a decade of experience in both the NHS and the independent sector. She has extensive expertise in the assessment and management of a broad spectrum of mental health conditions, with a particular passion for the mental health of women. Dr. Rajashanker’s clinical practice encompasses both outpatient and inpatient settings, allowing her to provide comprehensive and individualized care across the continuum of psychiatric services. Her areas of special interest include neurodevelopmental disorders in women, hormone-related mental health disorders, and the psychiatric impact of trauma in women. Dr. Rajashanker is committed to advancing the understanding and treatment of these complex conditions, and she is recognized for her compassionate, evidence-based approach to care. Her dedication to improving mental health outcomes for women is reflected in her ongoing clinical work, multidisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy for gender-sensitive mental health services.

Dr Jo O'Reilly

Dr Jo O'Reilly is a consultant psychiatrist in medical psychotherapy in central London , and a member of the British Psychoanalytic Society. She currently holds the role of Chair of the Medical Psychotherapy Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and contributed to the Position Statement on the Menopause and Mental Health published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in March 2026. She is passionate about the importance of thinking psychologically and seeking individual meaning  in  psychiatric presentations  and at key transitions in life. Jo has  written and lectured on a wide range of topics and is the co-editor and chapter author of the Royal College of Psychiatrists text book Seminars in the Psychotherapies. 

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