Counseling and Therapy

Counseling used along with medications plays an important role in the treatment of many disorders. Counseling in conjunction with medication management has proven very effective in improving the quality of life for many patients.

Types of counseling include the following:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment often used for treating depression and other mental disorders. CBT is based on the theory that depressive symptoms are brought on by dysfunctional patterns of thinking and behavior, such as thinking negatively of you and the future.

In CBT, you and the therapist work together to identify abnormal thinking and behavior patterns that contributes to depression. The therapist helps to retrain your way of thinking and behaving toward life events and relationships.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a time-limited treatment that is effective for depression and other mental disorders. The treatment focuses on social and personal relationships and any problems with these that you might be experiencing. After looking at grief and loss, role disputes in relationships, and relationship transitions, and assessing your interpersonal skills, the emphasis then shifts to solving your interpersonal and relationship issues.

Problem-Solving Therapy

Problem-solving (PS) therapy is used often for the treatment of depressive symptoms. PS can be conducted by trained health care provider educated in this form of treatment and is therefore less expensive than other forms of counseling. PS is a more brief and focused form of cognitive therapy and was developed to treat depression in the primary care setting. This type of therapy will focus on the problems you are currently facing and on helping you find solutions to those problems.

Family Therapy and Bipolar Disorder

Family therapy can be very beneficial in maintaining good relationships within the family who is dealing with the pressures of bipolar disorder. The entire family, including children, will be able to express their concerns and fears regarding how bipolar is affecting their loved one and the family dynamics. They will also be able to obtain support for their own frustrations of helping the bipolar person get through their mood episodes.

A qualified counselor (such as a licensed professional counselor or psychologist) who has had specific training in treating families should conduct family therapy.