Psychiatrists in Seattle, WA
Pulcharia Thompson
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, APRN, PMHNP, BC, FNP-C
Verified Verified
Seattle, WA 98115
I treat a wide range of mental health illnesses with focus on depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, addiction, ADHD, and other childhood mental health illnesses.
If you are an individual who is privately suffering from mental health illness or a loved one who is privately suffering with them, there is help for you. At Tandem Psychiatric and Family Practice, the focus is to integrate the most current and accurate treatment along with psychotherapy that centers on aiding the individual to feel whole again. I come from a Christian background and I firmly believe that every human being has the dignity of God, which comes with a purpose in life. This is the premise from which I approach treatment, so that hopefully every client can be given the means to reach their God given potential.
I treat a wide range of mental health illnesses with focus on depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, addiction, ADHD, and other childhood mental health illnesses.
If you are an individual who is privately suffering from mental health illness or a loved one who is privately suffering with them, there is help for you. At Tandem Psychiatric and Family Practice, the focus is to integrate the most current and accurate treatment along with psychotherapy that centers on aiding the individual to feel whole again. I come from a Christian background and I firmly believe that every human being has the dignity of God, which comes with a purpose in life. This is the premise from which I approach treatment, so that hopefully every client can be given the means to reach their God given potential.
Raquel M Bolender
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, ARNP
Verified Verified
Seattle, WA 98188
I am currently only taking child and adolescent medication-management patients. I am a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who specializes in treating children and adolescents. I practice a family systems approach and understand the child’s/adolescent’s functioning within the unit of their family system. I think of the family system as its own unique biome with established patterns of behaviors, values, and ideas, and each of these themes are explored in our sessions.
I am currently only taking child and adolescent medication-management patients. I am a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner who specializes in treating children and adolescents. I practice a family systems approach and understand the child’s/adolescent’s functioning within the unit of their family system. I think of the family system as its own unique biome with established patterns of behaviors, values, and ideas, and each of these themes are explored in our sessions.
See more therapy options for Seattle
Bipolar Disorder Psychiatrists
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.