Written by: Angela Derrick, Ph.D. & Susan McClanahan, Ph.D.
Date Posted: November 4, 2025 8:04 am
The medical weight loss landscape is evolving fast.
From WeightWatchers (WW) launching a GLP-1 program for menopausal women to Costco dispensing prescriptions for Ozempic and similar medications, access to these treatments is expanding at an unprecedented rate.
That’s good news. Innovation and accessibility matter, especially for women in midlife who have long been underserved by the health and wellness industry.
But at SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders, we see another story unfolding underneath the headlines.
While biology can initiate change, it’s psychology that determines what happens next. Because for every woman beginning a GLP-1 or HRT journey, there’s also an emotional journey underway, one that deserves equal care, understanding, and support.
The physical transformation may happen quickly. The emotional integration takes time.
For many women, medications like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or HRT deliver what years of effort could not: real change.
Weight begins to shift, energy returns, and blood sugar levels stabilize. But beneath the surface, the mind may lag behind.
We often hear women say:
“I look in the mirror and don’t recognize myself.”
“People treat me differently, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”
“I thought I’d just feel better—but instead I feel off balance.”
These reactions are common. When your body changes faster than your identity can adapt, it can trigger a kind of emotional disorientation. Old habits, relationships, and even self-concepts start to shift.
Some describe it as grief. Others, as confusion. And for many, it brings up long-buried struggles with control, body image, or anxiety.
At SpringSource, we see these reactions as natural and human. They show that your mind is adapting to your new reality, not resisting it.
Therapy can help you integrate these shifts so that your progress feels grounding rather than destabilizing.
For women on a medical weight loss journey, there often comes a time when they notice the world reacting differently to their bodies. Sometimes with praise and attention, other times with envy. These responses can carry an unexpected emotional sting.
Many women describe feeling resentful or confused when others suddenly treat them with more kindness, respect, or attraction. They wonder why they weren’t worthy of this kind of energy before.
This realization can unearth old pain, especially if weight stigma or invisibility shaped how they were treated in the past.
Even in loving relationships, partners may show renewed interest or pride in ways that feel complicated. It can trigger grief when recognizing how conditional acceptance can be in a culture that prizes thinness over wholeness.
Visibility can be both validating and painful.
Weight loss and hormonal treatment don’t just change the body; they alter the inner landscape.
Here’s what often emerges once the physical change begins:
We celebrate transformation, but rarely talk about its complexity.
These layers of experience don’t mean something is “wrong.” They mean you’re evolving, and it’s okay for that to be complicated.
Diet culture still whispers the same message: your worth is tied to your weight. Even as medical treatments like GLP-1s shift the narrative toward science and health, those old social messages linger. Without conscious awareness, they can seep into self-talk, fueling guilt, comparison, or perfectionism.
Therapy helps women untangle these cultural layers and separate authentic wellness goals from the external pressures that distort them. It invites a deeper question: What does it mean to feel at home in your body, regardless of size or shape?
When women reclaim that definition for themselves, healing moves beyond numbers and becomes an act of self-liberation.
Menopause and midlife represent significant developmental shifts, not only hormonally but also psychologically. Estrogen and progesterone impact serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters associated with mood and motivation. When these hormones fluctuate, emotional regulation can become more difficult, even for those with no history of anxiety or depression.
But menopause isn’t just loss; it’s a redefinition. This phase can bring insight, creativity, and new independence.
When medical weight loss and HRT are added to these changes, the transformation amplifies. Women find themselves redefining not just their health but also their sense of identity and worth.
It’s not vanity — it’s visibility. For many women, midlife is the first time they can begin to truly prioritize themselves.
At SpringSource, we view midlife as a turning point; an opportunity to reconnect with what truly matters. Therapy offers the support and safe space to explore those changes with curiosity rather than judgment.
Dr. Angela Derrick notes, “I love working with women at this stage of life. They tend to come to therapy with a lot of wisdom and life experience and are really ready to dive into deeper exploration of themselves; this can mean processing past regrets and making sense of the past, dealing with changes in the present, and also preparing for the next phase of life ahead.”
GLP-1s and HRT can spark biological change, but they don’t automatically rewrite emotional patterns. Biology may start the change, but psychological support sustains it.
When a woman’s external transformation is not supported internally, she may experience:
The psychological integration of change is what makes transformation lasting. At SpringSource, this is the support and space we create for our clients—where science meets self-awareness.
Many women enter medical weight loss programs with motivation, but what keeps them steady is hope.
Not the vague optimism of “it will all work out,” but what psychologist C.R. Snyder called pathway thinking—the ability to find multiple routes toward a goal, and flexibility when obstacles arise.
Therapy helps build that capacity. It supports:
When biology and psychology align, the result isn’t just weight loss, it’s emotional growth.
SpringSource Co-Founder Dr. Susan McClannahan shares, “As a Ph.D. psychologist, I am dedicated to providing a safe, supportive space for clients across the weight spectrum—especially midlife women navigating this journey. At SpringSource, we’ve seen a growing number of individuals turning to GLP-1 medications, both within our practice and in the broader community. Research continues to highlight promising benefits for those who meet the criteria, including type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management.
There are many valid medical and personal reasons someone might choose to start GLP-1. Our role is to ensure our clients’ mental and emotional well-being develops alongside the physical changes. What’s often missing from the larger conversation is the psychological support needed to sustain long-term growth and stability. At SpringSource, we’re advocating for that missing link—integrating emotional health into every step of the GLP-1 journey.”
Your answers can be the foundation for your relationship with wellness.
SpringSource: Eating, Weight & Mood Disorders was founded by Drs. Susan McClanahan and Angela Derrick, both recognized leaders in treating eating disorders, anxiety, and mood challenges. Their experience in higher levels of care (IOP, PHP, Residential) deeply informs the practice’s integrative approach.
Our clinicians understand the intersection of biology and psychology—especially how hormonal, metabolic, and emotional factors intertwine during midlife.
We offer:
We work closely with physicians and specialists to develop a comprehensive care model that addresses both medical and mental health needs.
When care ends at the prescription pad, we miss the person sitting in front of us.
Our culture still defines success by numbers: pounds lost, dosage adjusted, lab results improved. But these metrics miss the heart of transformation.
At SpringSource, we help women rewrite the definition of success.
True wellness means:
True transformation isn’t about shrinking your body, it’s about expanding your life. This is the deeper healing work that focuses less on image and more on integration.
The expansion of GLP-1 access through retail giants like WW and Costco reflects a cultural shift. Women’s needs are finally being recognized.
But emotional support hasn’t yet caught up.
Mental health care can’t be packaged, shipped, or dispensed. It requires conversation, relationship, and reflection.
That’s where SpringSource steps in to ensure that as access expands, support deepens.
We exist to help women find wholeness and guide them through the many transitions of midlife—physical, emotional, and relational.
If you’re a midlife woman beginning a medical weight loss or hormone therapy journey, know this:
You don’t have to navigate it alone.
Therapy offers a place to integrate body and mind. It’s a safe space to explore what’s changing, what’s emerging, and what you want this next chapter to mean.
Because the real transformation isn’t reflected in a number on the scale, it’s in how you see yourself—with compassion, strength, and self-respect.
If you’re exploring GLP-1 or HRT treatment and want support aligning emotional and physical change, SpringSource’s clinicians can help.
We serve clients throughout Chicago, the North Shore, and statewide in Illinois, offering both in-person and telehealth options.
Together, we’ll help you move toward lasting, integrated well-being of mind and body.
We provide in-person therapy in Northbrook and Chicago, with telehealth therapy available throughout Illinois.
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