Photo of Justin Michel - Building Bridges Psychotherapy, Registered Psychotherapist
Building Bridges Psychotherapy
Registered Psychotherapist
Verified Verified
Toronto, ON M5R
We are a diverse team of over 40 licensed and experienced therapists! We believe that there is good in every person, and hope in every situation. We help individuals, couples, and families heal, grow, and connect. As relational therapists, we appreciate the impact that our relationships have on our well-being. We do not see clients as having something wrong with their heads that need to be fixed. Rather, we see our clients as unique individuals, each with their own stories and perspectives, embedded in important relationships and contexts that impact them. We see strengths and we see hope, even when it feels like there is none.
We are a diverse team of over 40 licensed and experienced therapists! We believe that there is good in every person, and hope in every situation. We help individuals, couples, and families heal, grow, and connect. As relational therapists, we appreciate the impact that our relationships have on our well-being. We do not see clients as having something wrong with their heads that need to be fixed. Rather, we see our clients as unique individuals, each with their own stories and perspectives, embedded in important relationships and contexts that impact them. We see strengths and we see hope, even when it feels like there is none.
(437) 747-5668 View (437) 747-5668
Photo of Dr. Lisa Bradford, PhD, CPsych, Psychologist
Dr. Lisa Bradford
Psychologist, PhD, CPsych
Verified Verified
Toronto, ON M5R
Do you feel lonely, empty, overwhelmed or stuck? Does it seem like bad things are always happening to you while everyone else is living a happy life? Do you and your partner have the same fights over and over again? I can help you resolve these issues. I am a warm, down-to-earth, authentic, honest, and empathic person who genuinely cares about your well-being. I help individuals work through a wide variety of issues including those related to anxiety, depression, obsessionality, trauma, dissociation, guilt, shame, insomnia, relationships, sexual orientation, eating, and identity and self-esteem. I embrace and celebrate diversity.
Do you feel lonely, empty, overwhelmed or stuck? Does it seem like bad things are always happening to you while everyone else is living a happy life? Do you and your partner have the same fights over and over again? I can help you resolve these issues. I am a warm, down-to-earth, authentic, honest, and empathic person who genuinely cares about your well-being. I help individuals work through a wide variety of issues including those related to anxiety, depression, obsessionality, trauma, dissociation, guilt, shame, insomnia, relationships, sexual orientation, eating, and identity and self-esteem. I embrace and celebrate diversity.
(647) 724-5122 View (647) 724-5122
Photo of Farnoush Mozafari Ph.D. (c), PhD, (c), RSSW, Registered Social Worker
Farnoush Mozafari Ph.D. (c)
Registered Social Worker, PhD, (c), RSSW
Verified Verified
Toronto, ON M5R
I strive to provide a comforting, educational, and private environment for all my clients. Sessions are devoted to assisting clients in identifying patterns and, in becoming conscious of them, developing the capacity to understand and change them.
I strive to provide a comforting, educational, and private environment for all my clients. Sessions are devoted to assisting clients in identifying patterns and, in becoming conscious of them, developing the capacity to understand and change them.
(647) 492-7130 View (647) 492-7130
Photo of Justin Michel - Building Bridges Psychotherapy, MA, MSc, RP, Registered Psychotherapist
Building Bridges Psychotherapy
Registered Psychotherapist, MA, MSc, RP
Verified Verified
1 Endorsed
Toronto, ON M5R
We are a diverse team of over 50 licensed and experienced therapists! We believe that there is good in every person, and hope in every situation. We help individuals, couples, and families heal, grow, and connect. As relational therapists, we appreciate the impact that our relationships have on our well-being. We do not see clients as having something wrong with their heads that need to be fixed. Rather, we see our clients as unique individuals, each with their own stories and perspectives, embedded in important relationships and contexts that impact them. We see strengths and we see hope, even when it feels like there is none.
We are a diverse team of over 50 licensed and experienced therapists! We believe that there is good in every person, and hope in every situation. We help individuals, couples, and families heal, grow, and connect. As relational therapists, we appreciate the impact that our relationships have on our well-being. We do not see clients as having something wrong with their heads that need to be fixed. Rather, we see our clients as unique individuals, each with their own stories and perspectives, embedded in important relationships and contexts that impact them. We see strengths and we see hope, even when it feels like there is none.
(289) 402-8220 View (289) 402-8220

See more therapy options for M5R

Bipolar Disorder Counsellors

What is the most successful approach to treating bipolar disorder?

Living with bipolar disorder can be challenging, and a number of therapies have been found effective in providing support to patients as they gain the skills to understand and manage the disorder. Family-focused therapy is often helpful for children and teens (the majority of cases develop before age 19); it aims to minimize mood cycling by improving family communication and reducing conflict. It also helps young people navigate the developmental challenges the disorder can create. Cognitive and behavioral therapy (CBT) and variants such as Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)help patients manage the thoughts and feelings that influence bipolar mood swings as well as develop specific behavioral strategies to counteract them.

What happens in therapy for bipolar disorder?

Because the patterns of mood switching and its triggers differ for each person and can change over time, mood tracking or monitoring becomes a basic way patients learn about the nature of their condition. One of the most common features of therapy is finding a workable method of mood monitoring, in which patients track their daily activities and rate their moods, then use the findings to adjust routines accordingly. Patients learn ways of handling the many stresses that arise in life so that they do not trigger mood swings.

What kinds of problems does therapy help with?

Like many other mental health disorders, BPD is heavily influenced by stress; therapy provides skills for coping with stressors of all kinds. Therapy is extremely important for helping individuals identify the situations that may trigger mood switching, so that mood swings can be prevented. Therapy may especially target recognition of the early stages of mood change so that they can be managed. In addition, therapy helps patients deal with the significant amount of turbulence the disorder can create in relationships and in work life.

What is the goal of therapy for bipolar disorder?

Therapy helps patients set up their lives to maintain stability so that their mood isn’t constantly threatened by daily events. Perhaps the first task of therapy is to educate people about the nature of the disorder. At the same time, a primary goal of therapy is to enhance adherence to drug treatment. Extended periods of mood stability can prompt patients to discontinue medication, triggering relapse, while the early phases of manic episodes can feel so energizing that patients stop medication, ushering in full-blown mania and the altered self-perception that can lead to destructive behaviors. Another major goal of therapy is to understand one’s mood patterns so as to minimize both the frequency and intensity of mood cycling.