You don't have to just put up with this-Part 2
MASTERING MENOPAUSE · MONTHLY BLOG
Part 2 of 3
Inside the course: what we cover, session by session.
A gentle walkthrough of the six sessions — so you know exactly what you're walking into.
By Dr Ivana Matic-Stancin · April 2026 · Issue 2
Welcome back to the Mastering Menopause blog series. In part one, I introduced the course — its philosophy, what makes it different, and the three formats available. Here in part two, I want to open the door a little wider and show you what actually happens across the six sessions.
I want to be clear: this is an overview, not an exhaustive syllabus. The course is designed to breathe — there is always space for the conversation that needs to happen in the room. But I know that many women feel more comfortable walking into something new when they have a sense of what to expect, so here it is.
Every session is a blend of education, guided practice, and pen conversations. You will leave each one with something you can use, not just something you’ve heard.
The six sessions
The CBT model and the physiology of hot flushes
We open with the CBT framework — the map that will guide the whole course — showing how body, mind, thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all connected. We then explore the physiology of hot flushes: what is actually happening in the brain's thermoregulatory system, and why perimenopause disrupts it so profoundly. Understanding the mechanism — both physical and psychological — is where the course begins.
Session 2
Stress, the allostatic load, and your personal story
This session explores the science of stress — the difference between acute and chronic stress, what the allostatic load is and why it matters so much in midlife, and how your unique life story shapes your stress response. We look honestly at how accumulated stress amplifies symptoms in both body and mind, and we work with practical tools to begin shifting that load in genuinely sustainable ways.
Session 3
The power of thoughts: the cognitive dimension of CBT
Here we go deep into the cognitive part of the CBT model — how our thought patterns, beliefs, and mental narratives shape the way we experience symptoms and this transition. We practise gentle but effective techniques for noticing, questioning, and shifting the thoughts that keep us stuck or turn physical discomfort into psychological suffering. This session is often where things begin to feel genuinely different.
Session 4
Sleep, hormones and the perimenopausal brain
Sleep disruption is one of the most common and debilitating experiences of perimenopause. This session explores what science now understands about the relationship between hormonal change and sleep architecture — and is equally honest about what remains unknown. We examine evidence-based strategies to improve rest during this transition and place them within the broader context of body and psychology working together.
Session 5
Rest, restoration and the science of recovery
Building on session four, we broaden the conversation from sleep to rest in all its forms. What does genuine restoration look like for a woman navigating hormonal change? We explore the nervous system's need for recovery, the role of rest in managing the allostatic load, and practical approaches to weaving restoration into real life — not as a luxury, but as a clinical necessity.
Session 6
Integration: your personal health goals for the year ahead
The final session brings everything together — the physiology, the psychology, the CBT tools, the stress science, and the sleep strategies — into a coherent whole. Each participant leaves with a personalised health goal framework for the coming year: not a rigid plan, but a living, flexible map built from integrated knowledge and genuine self-understanding.
Educational and experiential
One thing I want to emphasise: this is not a lecture series. Every session includes guided practice — breathing and relaxation techniques, thought-challenging exercises, and sleep strategies you try in the room before you take them home. Learning something intellectually is one thing; experiencing it in your body and psychology is another. The course is designed to give you both. It is a psychological tool offered to you.
Women consistently tell me that just being in a space with others who understand — without having to explain themselves — is itself part of the healing. That sense of recognition, of oh, you too — it matters enormously.
What you'll walk away with
By the end of the six sessions, most participants feel they have a genuinely different relationship with their symptoms. Not because the symptoms have necessarily disappeared, but because they understand them — in both their body and their psychology — they have tools for them, and they no longer feel alone with them. That shift — from overwhelmed to informed and equipped — is what the course is built around.
Free Information Evening
Not sure if the course is right for you? Come along to our first information evening at the clinic at Maxwell Medical Group, Braybrook. It is a relaxed session where I introduce the course, answer your questions, and give you a feel for the approach to both the physiological and psychological dimensions we explore together. No booking required-just come along and bring a friend or two, who might benefit as well.
Our next information evening is on Wednesday, 30 April 2026, at 6:00 pm at Maxwell Medical Group, Braybrook. I hold these evenings throughout the year, so if April doesn't work for you, there will be further dates — please get in touch, and I'll let you know when the next one is.
Coming up in part three:
All the practical details-how to book, what each format involves, how to get in touch, and information about our free Info evenings throughout the year.
Dr Ivana Matic-Stancin
