Meet Cynthia St. Clair

MA, LCMHC, LPC

Specialties: PMS/PMDD, Perimenopause, Infertility, Highly Sensitive Women, Trauma, Life Transitions, Body Image, Complex PTSD, Disenfranchised Grief, Reproductive Trauma/Grief, Sexual Assault

She is especially passionate about working with PMS and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), the perimenopausal transition, highly sensitive women, and individuals working through unprocessed trauma. She also supports clients through big life shifts, body image concerns, complex PTSD, disenfranchised grief, reproductive trauma, and sexual assault.

If you have ever felt like your emotions are too intense, too unpredictable, or hard to explain to others, you are not alone. Many of the women Cynthia works with look like they are holding everything together on the outside, while internally feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of how to make sense of what they are experiencing. Therapy offers a space where you can finally slow down, feel understood, and begin to reconnect with yourself.

Offering virtual therapy across North Carolina

Schedule Now | Accepted Insurances

PMS and PMDD

PMS is common, but PMDD is something very different. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder is a severe, hormone related mood disorder that can cause intense emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, irritability, and even feelings of hopelessness in the days or weeks leading up to your cycle.

You may feel like a different person during this time. Small things can feel overwhelming. Relationships can feel strained. You might question yourself, your reactions, or your stability. Then, as your cycle shifts, it can feel like the fog lifts and you are left trying to make sense of what just happened.
If this sounds familiar, you are not overreacting and you are not “too much.” Cynthia helps you understand these patterns, reduce the intensity of symptoms, and build a more compassionate and stable relationship with yourself throughout your cycle.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the transition leading up to menopause, and it can begin years before you expect it. During this time, hormone fluctuations can significantly impact mood, sleep, memory, and emotional regulation.
You may feel more anxious than usual, more irritable, or emotionally off balance. You might find yourself thinking, “Why do I feel like this? This is not me.”
This stage of life can feel disorienting, especially when there is little guidance or support. Cynthia helps you make sense of what your body is going through, while also supporting the emotional and identity shifts that often come with this transition so you can feel more grounded and like yourself again.

Infertility and Reproductive Grief & Loss

The experience of infertility, pregnancy loss, or complicated reproductive journeys can be deeply painful and often invisible to others. This type of grief can come in waves, hope and disappointment, longing and loss, all at once.

You may feel like your body has let you down. You may feel isolated watching others move through milestones you are still waiting for. You may carry grief that does not have a clear place to land or feel unsure how to talk about what you are going through.

Whether you are navigating infertility, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, or the emotional toll of trying to grow your family, your experience matters. Cynthia provides a space where this grief is honored without minimization, where you do not have to explain why it hurts, and where you can begin to process both the loss and the uncertainty in a way that feels supported and deeply understood.

Highly Sensitive Women

Being highly sensitive means your nervous system processes the world more deeply. You may feel emotions intensely, pick up on subtle shifts in others, or become overwhelmed more easily by noise, stress, or expectations.

You may have been told you are “too sensitive” or that you need to toughen up. Over time, that can lead to self doubt, burnout, or feeling like something is wrong with you.

The truth is, your sensitivity is not a flaw. It is a form of awareness. Cynthia helps you understand how your nervous system works, set boundaries that protect your energy, and learn how to move through the world in a way that feels more sustainable and supportive.

Trauma and Complex PTSD

Trauma is not just about what happened to you, but how those experiences continue to live in your body and mind. Complex PTSD often develops from ongoing or relational trauma and can shape how you see yourself, your relationships, and your sense of safety.

You may notice patterns like overthinking, people pleasing, emotional shutdown, or feeling constantly on edge. You may feel disconnected from yourself or unsure why certain situations affect you so strongly.

These responses are not random. They are adaptations that once helped you cope. Cynthia provides a safe, trauma informed space to begin understanding these patterns, gently processing what you have been through, and creating new ways of relating to yourself and others.

Life Transitions

Even when change is expected or chosen, it can still feel overwhelming. Life transitions such as career shifts, relationship changes, or identity changes can bring uncertainty, grief, and a sense of losing your footing.

You may feel stuck between who you used to be and who you are becoming. You may feel pressure to have it all figured out, while internally feeling unsure or disconnected.

Cynthia helps you slow down and process these transitions so you can move forward with greater clarity, intention, and self trust.

Body Image

Body image struggles often go far beyond appearance. They can impact how you see yourself, how you show up in relationships, and how safe you feel in your own body.

You may find yourself in cycles of self criticism, comparison, or disconnection. You may feel like your body is something to fix, rather than something to understand.

Cynthia supports you in rebuilding a more compassionate and respectful relationship with your body, helping you move toward acceptance, awareness, and a deeper sense of connection.

Disenfranchised Grief

Some forms of grief are not always recognized or validated by others. This is known as disenfranchised grief. It may include grief related to fertility struggles, pregnancy loss, identity changes, or relationships that others do not fully understand.

When your grief is not acknowledged, it can feel especially isolating. You may question whether your feelings are valid or feel like you have to carry it alone.

In therapy, your grief is given space. Cynthia helps you process these experiences in a way that feels seen, supported, and meaningful.

Reproductive Trauma

Reproductive trauma can include experiences related to fertility challenges, pregnancy, birth, or medical procedures. These experiences can leave emotional imprints that are often misunderstood or minimized.

You may feel grief, anger, confusion, or a sense of disconnection from your body. You may struggle to trust your body again or feel alone in your experience.

With her background in women’s health and training as a birth doula, Cynthia offers informed, compassionate support to help you process these experiences and reconnect with your body in a way that feels safe.

Sexual Assault

Sexual trauma can deeply impact your sense of safety, identity, and relationship with your body. Healing from these experiences takes time, care, and a space that feels truly safe.

You may feel disconnected, guarded, or unsure how to move forward. You may carry feelings that are difficult to put into words.

Cynthia approaches this work with gentleness and respect, allowing you to move at your own pace while helping you rebuild a sense of safety, agency, and connection within yourself.

Her Approach

Cynthia’s approach to therapy is embodied, trauma focused, and deeply relational. She integrates somatic work, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness, and depth oriented practices to support healing on both an emotional and physical level.

With a background in Dance and Movement Therapy, yoga, and women’s health, she brings a strong mind body perspective into her work. She developed a hormone informed healing model for PMDD that combines lifestyle support, somatic awareness, and practical tools to help clients better understand and navigate their emotional patterns.

Cynthia believes that healing happens through both insight and experience. Her work is collaborative, compassionate, and at times gently challenging, helping you not only understand yourself but begin to feel different in your body and your life.

Begin Your Healing Journey

If you are feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure of how to move forward, you do not have to figure it out alone.

There is a reason you are here. Something in you is ready for support, for understanding, and for change.

Cynthia would be honored to walk alongside you in this process. Reach out today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward feeling more grounded, connected, and like yourself again.

Reach out today to schedule a consultation and take the next step toward a more grounded, balanced, and fulfilling life.

Accepted Insurances

Aetna, BCBC (excluding HealthyBlue, Blue Home, and Blue Local), Blue value, Cigna, and NC State Health Plan. Accepts self-pay and offers sliding scale rates.