Top 5 Myths About Menopause Therapy in Chicago (and the Truth Behind Them)
Understanding what to expect from Menopause Therapy in Chicago can be confusing. Find out more about how to understand fact from fiction.
There are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about therapy and about menopause. When you combine the two and are trying to understand menopause therapy, the confusion increases exponentially. In a previous post, we talked about finding the right menopause therapist in Chicago. Now, let’s take some time to clear up some of the top myths that I hear from clients in Chicago about menopause therapy.
Myth #1 – Therapists Just Listen and Nod
Truth: Therapy is an active, collaborative process.
Sure, therapists are good listeners. That’s a basic job qualification. But, that is not their full role. In fact, good therapy is an active, collaborative process. I always tell my clients in the first session that they are the experts in their own lives. As the mental health professional, I have the expertise in mental health symptoms, behavioral interventions, etc, but the client is the person who knows their life best. Due to this, it is imperative that the client is an active part of the goal setting process and in ongoing work in sessions.
In the beginning of the work, a therapist is looking to create goals that match the client’s values. I explain to clients that I could make a beautiful list of goals, but if it doesn’t have any of the client’s input, they are not likely to have a lot of buy-in for it. Therefore, therapists want to hear from clients about what is truly important and motivating to them. In order to do this, therapists might ask questions to collect information, gently provide pushback to help clients think of things from a different perspective, or introduce different coping strategies or behavioral interventions to help challenge thoughts and behaviors.
In menopause therapy, sessions can look different depending on what the client needs that day. Some sessions are heavy in sharing information with clients about menopause such as explaining physical and emotional symptoms of hormone changes, sharing how insomnia contributes to rage symptoms, or sharing impacts of changing bodies on sex drive. Other sessions might focus on identifying the cause of decreased motivation for life activities. While other sessions may involve challenging thinking errors that are creating obstacles. No matter what is happening, the goal is to have the client actively involved and have the client and therapist collaborating throughout the sessions to achieve the client’s goals.
Myth #2 – You Have to Be ‘Really Sick’ to Go to Therapy
Truth: Menopause therapy is for anyone who is hoping to get support, healing, and growth during a significant time of transition.
Think about your physical health for a moment. If you have an infection, would you rather wait until you need to be hospitalized before you seek treatment for it, or would you rather be proactive and go to your primary care physician who can help treat it quickly? Most of us would choose the latter, and prefer to get treatment while it still feels manageable. Menopause mental health is not any different.
Women come to see me for so many reasons, including women who “aren’t even sure that I’m in menopause.” The truth is that this season of life is fraught with challenges. In addition to the physical and emotional changes that happen during menopause, it is a time in life when people are managing family responsibilities, relationships, divorces, caring for elderly parents, and sometimes, even feeling like they are having a good, old-fashioned mid-life crisis. There is so much going on, and therapy can be a place to help sort out all of these competing demands on your time and energy. Many women find that their distress is often greatly lessened when they proactively utilize therapy as a place to share all that they are dealing with.
Myth #3 – Menopause Therapy in Chicago is Impossible to Afford
Truth: Therapy can be affordable and there are many different ways to pay for therapy services.
There are 3 main ways to pay for therapy services: in-network insurance coverage, out of network insurance coverage, and private pay.
In network benefits: This is commonly what people refer to as “using their insurance.” Clients are able to use their insurance coverage to pay for the majority, if not all, of the cost for therapy services. In order to utilize these services, clients need to check to see if a particular therapist accepts their specific insurance. If they do, which is called “being in network with the insurance provider,” the insurance will cover the cost of the therapy minus any patient responsibility such as co-payments, deductibles, or co-insurance. Each insurance plan is different, and clients can contact their insurance company to find out the exact details of their plan.
Out of Network Benefits: Out of network benefits can potentially be used when a client sees a therapist who is not contracted with a client’s insurance plan. Many clients are able to use out-of-network benefits to receive partial to full reimbursement for therapy services. In order to get reimbursement, a therapist provides a Superbill (basically a receipt that outlines all services provided) that clients can submit to their insurance company to seek reimbursement. Alternatively, some therapy practices, such as ours, work with a service that will help submit the reimbursement for the client, so that the client does not need to worry about submitting a SuperBill.
Additionally, many practices have benefits checker tools built right into their website where clients can get a real-time estimate of what your cost would be. For example, in my therapy practice, clients can go to my fees page and securely enter their insurance information into the Benefits checker, and get an immediate estimate of what their out of pocket cost will be. Depending on your insurance plan, it could be covered up to 100% of the cost.
Private Pay: Alternatively, some people choose to directly pay the fee to the therapist. Yes, this can be expensive. But, ultimately, it is an investment in your health and well-being and it is an investment many people still find to be worth the price. Additionally, many people can utilize healthcare savings accounts such as HSA or FSA funds to cover the cost of private pay options.
Myth #4 – A Menopause Therapist in Chicago Will Judge Me
Truth: Therapy is a safe, confidential, and nonjudgmental space.
The whole point of therapy is to be able to share the vulnerable, scary things that are creating barriers in your life. I often say to clients, “I’ve seen a lot in my 2 decades of working as a social worker. So, rest assured, nothing you tell me with make me fall out of my chair!” And I mean it! Life is complicated and there isn’t room for judgement in the therapy space. In order for someone to get the most out of therapy, they need to be able to develop trust and feel that their therapist can listen and empathize with the hard stuff.
Strong codes of ethics guide menopause therapist in their work of creating safe, non-judgmental care for clients.
Plus, all therapists work under strong codes of ethics, which help guide the work that we do. For example, non-judgement is rooted in a core social work value: dignity and worth of the person. As such, therapists work from a place where every client needs to be treated with respect, given self-determination, and be supported without a therapist imposing their own personal biases or moral judgements.
Safety in therapy should feel like you are able to say your truth and be your authentic self.
Myth #5 – Therapy Takes Forever
Truth: It depends on the clients goals for therapy. Sometimes short-term interventions are extremely effective.
Therapy is highly individualized and as such, there isn’t a one size fits all approach to the work. Some people find that they benefit from having a consistent support system to help keep them accountable to their goals. Other people have a specific issue that they need to address and find that once that is tackled, they are ok ending therapy. On average, I find that most clients stay with me for menopause therapy for about a year of weekly sessions. From there, clients often either decrease frequency to biweekly or monthly or they decide to take a pause from therapy. But, even then, I still have some clients who prefer to stay meeting weekly. It really depends on what clients are working on, their goals, and what stressors are happening in their lives. That is why therapists work hard to create collaborative goals with their clients in order to ensure that they are working towards meeting their needs, as quickly and as supportively as possible.
Get the Answers You Need about Menopause Therapy in Chicago
These are just a few of the myths that people have about menopause therapy. Others that I have heard include “therapy cannot help you in menopause because it’s a physical problem, not a mental problem”, “talking to friends is the same as going to therapy”, or “you lie on a couch and talk during therapy.” No matter what myth you may have heard, I encourage you to bring any and all questions to your initial consultation and ask your potential therapist to clarify any concerns you may have. All questions are good questions if they get you the answers that you need.
Sarah Schufreider, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago, IL and the founder of Six Hearts Counseling PLLC. She focuses on mid-life transitions including menopause, parenting special needs and medically complex children, SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), grief, and postpartum depression. Sarah’s goal is to help her clients feel like they can take control of their life again through identifying their values, learning concrete skills to manage and regulate their emotions, and work to challenge mental obstacles that are creating stuck points to change. Learn more about her work at About Sarah Schufreider, LCSW.