--- title: Does a new therapy program help women with premenstrual problems? description: This paper describes a new therapy program for premenstrual problems but is too early to say whether it works, since it has only been tested with one woman. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/mapping-the-body-meeting-the-system-the-development-of-a-codesigned-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Does a new therapy program help women with premenstrual problems? Study, 2026 # Does a new therapy program help women with premenstrual problems? This paper describes a new therapy program for premenstrual problems but is too early to say whether it works, since it has only been tested with one woman. Early or limited evidence Women with premenstrual changes (PMS, PMDD, or premenstrual exacerbation) ## What they did Researchers worked with women who experience premenstrual changes to design a therapy program that combines talk therapy with art-based activities. They tested the program with one woman. ## What they found The paper describes what the program looks like and shows the story of one woman who completed it, but does not report whether her symptoms improved. ## What it means for you This shows a new approach to helping with premenstrual problems by combining talk therapy and creative activities. The main limit is that this is only a single case study. Much larger studies with many more women would be needed to know whether this therapy actually helps. 1 woman in the case study ## About the study Original title Mapping the Body, Meeting the System: The Development of a Codesigned Psychotherapy Programme for Premenstrual Change Authors Megan E. Buys, Raquel Peel, Denise Buiten Journal Feminism & Psychology Year 2026 Study design Study What was tested Person-centered talk therapy with internal family systems approach and art-based activities Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/09593535261464231](https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535261464231) Original abstract Tailored and comprehensive psychotherapy options have been requested by individuals experiencing negative premenstrual change (PMC) – inclusive of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual exacerbation (PME). Whilst some studies present psychotherapy programmes or interventions for PMC, few provide detailed descriptions of the session contents or the rationale behind them. Only a small number of studies have explored participants’ acceptability of these programmes, and none have been codesigned with individuals who experience PMC themselves. This paper addresses the need for practice-led research by outlining the development process and session content of a codesigned psychotherapy programme tailored to PMC: a person-centred programme involving internal family systems (IFS) aspects and arts-based therapeutic activities. A case study using a single participant who completed the programme is used to illustrate the sessions, and the rationale behind them is discussed. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Premenstrual exacerbation (PME)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pme/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Study, 2026 Do anxiety and depression get worse before your period if you already have a mental health condition? Interview study, 2025 What kind of therapy do people with premenstrual conditions want? Review, 2025 Can self-guided online therapy help premenstrual mood symptoms? Review, 2025 How does the menstrual cycle affect psychiatric symptoms like depression and anxiety? Randomised trial, 2021 Do women with depression or bipolar disorder experience worse symptoms before or during their menstrual cycle? Review, 2024 What do brain wave patterns show about PMS and PMDD? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗