Menopause is a mental health issue.
Most training programs never said so.
Menopause and Mental Health:
A Comprehensive Clinical Framework for Therapists
Perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause affect mood, sleep, cognition, and trauma history in ways that show up directly in your therapy room — as depression that doesn't respond to treatment, anxiety that came out of nowhere, or trauma that suddenly feels fresh again.
This isn't rare. It's sitting across from you every week.
The problem is that graduate programs don't cover it. Licensure preparation doesn't address it. And without a clinical framework for the menopausal transition, even experienced therapists miss it — or misattribute it to something else entirely.
And that's why I built this course
Six modules, One framework
A 6-hour self-paced CE course for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Each module pairs clinical content with case vignettes drawn from twenty-plus years of practice.
Module List
01 — The Biology of Menopause The hormonal, neurological, and physiological shifts that drive the symptoms you're seeing — what's happening in the brain and body, and why it matters for mental health work.
02 — Depression and Anxiety How perimenopausal mood and anxiety presentations differ from primary mood disorders, the risk factors that increase vulnerability during the transition, and what the evidence base says about treatment.
03 — ACEs, Trauma, and PTSD The dose-response relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and menopausal symptom burden, and what re-emergent trauma looks like clinically during this window.
04 — Special Populations Cancer-induced menopause Cancer-induced menopause, Primary Ovarian Insufficiency, and the clinical needs of neurodivergent clients navigating non-typical menopausal trajectories.
05 — Culturally Responsive Care and LGBTQ+-Affirming Care How racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender identity shape the menopause experience, and what identity-affirming care looks like across diverse populations.
06 — Clinical Assessment and Evidence-Based Treatment Validated assessment measures, evidence-based interventions, and integrated treatment planning that accounts for the full clinical picture.
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Self-Study / Distance Learning — video, audio, reading materials, and case vignettes
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CE Hours · 6.0 hours of continuing education credit (1 CE credit = 1 hour of instructional time; breaks and orientation lessons are not counted toward CE credit)
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Tuition · $119 — all course materials, post-test, evaluation, and certificate included; no additional fees
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Schedule · Self-paced; available immediately upon enrollment (must complete within 1 year)
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Target Audience · LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs - Level · Intermediate (2+ years post-master's experience)
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Post-Test · 70% minimum passing score; unlimited attempts
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Certificate · Auto-issued through Thinkific upon post-test passage and evaluation submission
Note · Module 00 (course orientation, syllabus review, and learning objectives) is provided as enrollment context and is not counted toward the 6 CE instructional hours.
Course Details
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Continuing education credit
Course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
Julie Cardoza, LMFT, CAMFT Continuing Education Provider #61115, is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Julie Cardoza, LMFT, CAMFT Continuing Education Provider #61115 maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
About Your Instructor
Hello! I'm Julie Cardoza, MS, LMFT, RYT, is a California-licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with twenty-plus years of clinical experience. I am an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and hold the Menopause Certificate from the Integrative Women's Health Institute (IWHI).
My clinical specialization sits at the intersection of trauma-informed care, somatic EMDR, and women's mental health across the menopausal transition.
This course was developed out of her clinical practice, consultation work, and the gap she repeatedly observed: licensed clinicians treating midlife women without training in the biological, psychological, and trauma-informed dimensions of the menopausal transition.
Julie Cardoza, LMFT · CAMFT Continuing Education Provider #61115 · juliecardoza.com
Learning Objectives:
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Identify the stages of the menopause transition and describe the key hormonal and neuropsychological changes — including the roles of estrogen and progesterone in mood regulation, sleep architecture, and cognitive function — that affect the mental health of perimenopausal and menopausal clients.
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Distinguish menopause-related depression and anxiety presentations from primary mood disorders using evidence-based clinical reasoning, and identify at least three risk factors that increase vulnerability to depression and anxiety during the menopause transition.
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Describe the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and menopausal symptom burden, including the dose-response relationship between ACE history and symptom severity, and apply ACE-informed clinical reasoning to a written case scenario.
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Identify the clinical presentations and psychological needs of at least three special populations navigating non-typical menopausal trajectories — including clients with cancer-induced menopause, Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), and neurodivergent clients — and describe at least one clinical adaptation appropriate for each population.
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Apply at least two principles of culturally responsive and identity-affirming care to a clinical scenario involving a client whose racial, ethnic, cultural, or gender identity shapes their menopause experience, including LGBTQ+ clients.
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Describe at least two evidence-based treatment interventions for menopause-related mental health concerns and design a treatment plan that is culturally responsive and incorporates these interventions for a midlife client.
Policies
Refund and cancellation. A full refund is available within 3 days of purchase if no course modules have been accessed. Once any module has been opened in the learning management system, no refund is available. To request a refund, email jcardozalmft@gmail.com within 3 days of the purchase date. Refunds will be processed within 10 business days.
Course access and completion. Course access is granted for one year from the date of enrollment. Participants must complete all course requirements — including module content, the post-test, and the course evaluation — within one year of purchase to receive CE credit. Certificates cannot be issued for incomplete enrollments after access expires.
Grievances. Grievances may be submitted by email to jcardozalmft@gmail.com. Grievances will be acknowledged within 2 business days and resolved within 30 days. A record of all grievances and resolutions is maintained.
Accommodations. For special-needs accommodations — including assistive technology, alternative formats, or other adjustments — email jcardozalmft@gmail.com at least 7 days before enrollment. I will work with you to ensure the course is accessible.