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Maintaining Stability with IPSRT: How it Helps Manage Bipolar Disorder (A Guest Post by Dr. Joann Mundin)

Bipolar disorder is a complex and unpredictable mental illness affecting millions worldwide. Those with bipolar disorder endure intense mood swings that can swing between the depths of severe depression to the heights of euphoric mania. The manic episodes can bring forth feelings of overwhelming joy and excitement, accompanied by a surge of energy and a decreased need for sleep. However, […]

Healing from Trauma takes Work

As a former facilitator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Connection Recovery Support Group, I began each meeting by reading a list of objectives provided by NAMI. One of the objectives states: Understand that mental health conditions are no one’s fault and can be traumatic experiences. To be clear, not everyone who lives with mental illness has experienced […]

How do you know when you should stop therapy?

In mid-January, my therapist and I reached the decision that I no longer needed to continue therapy for social anxiety. Hoorayyy!!! I’m not excited because I feel like therapy is unnecessary or because I didn’t like my therapist. In fact, just the opposite. Therapy was very necessary for me to add the right tools to my toolbox that I could […]

My Confidence-Boosting Mantra

About a month ago during one of our sessions, my therapist told me that one thing I can do to work through my anxiety – in addition to grounding techniques – is this: Choose a mantra! The last time I chose a mantra for myself, I was going through a deep depression following a manic episode. As I was cleaning […]

Starting Over with a New Therapist

I received a call a couple of days ago from the administrative assistant at the counseling center. She informed me that my new therapist, with whom I felt I had a great connection, is no longer employed there. Somewhat of a long story short, my therapist decided to work full-time at her former place of employment, which is a mental […]

Finding an Effective Therapist Part III

In Finding an Effective Therapist Part I, I focused on what an effective therapist means to me and provided some tips on how to get started with the search. In Part II, I let y’all know that I reached out to a former, effective therapist of mine, and I shared her tips for finding a therapist. Now, in Part III, […]

Finding an Effective Therapist Part II

In Part I of Finding an Effective Therapist, I stated that finding a new therapist for myself just isn’t high priority right now. Well, I’ve since changed my mind. I am struggling with some anxiety, and, rather than waiting until my anxiety gets out of hand, I think that I could benefit from therapeutic services now. My former therapist, whom […]

Finding an Effective Therapist Part I

I guess in order to find an effective therapist, you first have to define for yourself what “effective” is. This is a somewhat straightforward task for me, as I have had a few therapists since my episode. I know what I do want in a therapist as well as what I don’t want. That being said, I am dissatisfied with […]