Hi everyone, first time user here. I am looking for a therapist for my mother who lives in east Oxfordshire and suffers from bipolar disorder and was most recently manic having been well from 2006 and then ill from September 2009 until January 2010 (so, she was well for just over 3 years) and was hospitalised from November to January.
She is 56 and has experienced 4 manic episodes the first breakdown occurring in 2002. I am not sure if it is acceptable or ethical practice but we would like to some forms of recommendation from previous/current patients or MH professionals to help inform our decision in choosing a therapist with expertise, experience and success in bipolar therapy.
If possible we would like some information about approaches and methodologies to best inform our decision. This therapy would be principally individual and it would be good if it involved some form of homework or means of cultivating the methods covered during the therapy sessions.
I am unsure of normal practice but if there was the possibility of attending via a G.P./NHS referral that would also help given the relationship between manic episodes and debt.
Any suggestions/recommendations of therapists in the Oxfordshire/Berkshire/Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire area would be gratefully received, and if it is helpful, I will just leave some extra information about what we are looking for specifically:
We hope to find a specialist in bipolar disorder whose therapy in conjunction with her medication compliance can enable her to manage her condition more effectively and stay well long-term through prevention of future relapses.
She received 6 weeks of cognitive behaviour therapy prior to her last breakdown and has recently been looking into homeopathy as a form of treatment to be applied in conjunction with her medication (Depakote) but she also acknowledges that she needs additional therapy.
This therapy should be aimed increasing her coping skills and education about her disorder, both contemporary and in relation to her past experiences and manic episodes, in order to learn to restore and maintain personal and social daily routines to stabilize body rhythms and better predict her own fluctuations in mood. In this way she may be able to avoid experiencing impaired awareness of her illness or anosognosia, and act accordingly in the event that she seems to be becoming elated. Therefore we think her therapy should have a focus on considering and trying to manage environmental or psychological factors that contribute to relapses.
Many thanks for your time and all the best in your endeavours.
