Bipolar

I have worked with people with Bipolar Disorders for 3 years and believe a collaborative approach towards a treatment plan works best.

With a focus on Bipolar Disorder, I bring a nuanced understanding of the complexities associated with mood dysregulation. My expertise lies in conducting thorough evaluations, formulating personalized treatment plans, and providing ongoing support for individuals with bipolar I and II disorders. I am well-versed in the use of mood stabilizers, atypical antipsychotics, and psychoeducation to manage mood episodes effectively.

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition distinguished by mood swings, alternating between periods of elevated mood or mania and depressive episodes. There is bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. If you have bipolar disorder or feel that you have experienced symptoms related to it, please contact me. Let's get started with counseling.

I have seen patients across a wide range of the bipolar spectrum. I make it my goal to support my patients through highs and lows, and help find a regimen that makes them feel more balanced.

I have studied extensively about Bipolar Disorder and have worked with many affected clients. My focus is in mood management. I incorporate many concepts of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) into my treatment approach, which I have found extremely helpful with Bipolar Disorder.

I have extensive experience in both short term stabilization and long term maintenance of bipolar disorder.

Being a dual diagnosis clinician, I have built specific skills to help patients of all ages challenge their mental health symptoms from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression, among others. Working openly and honestly with patients they learn new techniques to manage their symptoms effectively.

Bipolar disorder can lead to abrupt mood shifts that can be difficult to manage and lead to impulsive choices, psychosis, challenged relationships, etc. There are therapeutic techniques we can engage in together to help bring about increased awareness of how lifestyle and mood are intertwined for you personally and identify areas for adjustment. Through processing in therapy, we can work together toward a greater sense of balance - both internally and externally.

I have extensive experience in treatment the full spectrum of bipolar disorders, including with psychotic symptoms. I was previously the provider for a first-episode psychosis program and treated many young adults with bipolar symptoms and mood dysregulation.

In addition to medication management, helping client's increase mindful awareness of their moment-to-moment thoughts, feelings, and internal sensations, as well as deviations, is key to successfully managing the bipolar experience. Using a variety of DBT and ACT skills, I can help you overcome the overwhelm with effective skills-based coping and support. Commonly, many people working with bipolar symptoms also have significant trauma histories that we can also address with EMDR and IFS therapy.

Experiencing the highs of mania or hypomania, along with the lows of depression on a regular, cyclical, basis can be disruptive to relationships and life long goals. Through therapeutic modalities, I help my clients to familiarize themselves with their own patterns of behavior and emotions. We identify the origins of those emotions and sequential behaviors and develop insight into how they are serving us or not serving us in our present and future.

Over the past 7 years, I have gathered extensive knowledge and experience working with teens and adults struggling with Bipolar Disorder in a variety of settings from outpatient to intensive residential treatment facilities. I have seen people struggle but I have also seen people live awesome, fun, with amazing sleep schedules and workout habits, lives because therapy and the right medication changed their lives. Wellness is often neglected and thought of as a secondary goal to stability.

I spent the majority of my education exploring bipolar disorder. My master's thesis was on the connection between artistic genius and bipolar disorder. I can offer bipolar clients a nuanced understanding of their symptoms, and the multitude of ways bipolar can interact with their life and identity. Many of my clients who identify as bipolar have intersecting creative talents and/or exceptional abilities that sometimes dance with the various mood states of bipolar.

I enjoy working with people who have bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. I ran groups for people with bipolar disorder for more than eight years in a previous position. When I work with mood issues, usually we focus on a combination of things like improving your self care, using mindfulness based therapies/DBT, and sometimes considering medications. Together we learn about your key warning signs for depression or hypomania and what to do if you start feeling that way.

Bipolar mood swings can be frightening. One week you may feel depressed, unmotivated even suicidal. Then you surge into a whirlwind of high energy, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, and maybe you do things that you feel embarrassed about later, when you come down from the emotional high. And this leads to more depression, shame and guilt. It's exhausting! There's hope. People with bipolar disorder lead healthy, productive lives with proper diagnosis and treatment.

Bipolar can be treated with several therapies. Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy uses tracking, social interaction, and circadian rhythms to keep you stable. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be really effective for depression. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help resolve any trauma, such as hospitalizations and embarrassing memories. Mindfulness and education round out the treatment.

I have spent the last three years working specifically with adults with severe mental illness including bipolar disorders in varying stages of recovery. I also have lived experience with bipolar disorder that I can draw from when it is helpful to relate, while also recognizing that everyone's experience is unique.

Bipolar can be a difficult experience, but it does not have to be a negative one. Together I help my clients understand the way their cycles and symptoms effect their lives, create interventions to reduce vulnerabilities and increase protective factors, and see themselves as the whole person they are.

Feeling like your emotions are not in your control is very scary.