Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder Counselling
When the highs and lows last weeks rather than hours and start costing you things, that has a name, and it responds to treatment.
When the highs and lows stop feeling like just moods
What bipolar disorder can look like
Bipolar disorder causes serious shifts in mood, energy, thinking, and behaviour, from the highs of mania to the lows of depression. Unlike ordinary mood swings, these cycles last for days, weeks, or months and interfere with your ability to function. During a manic episode, someone might impulsively quit a job or spend far beyond their means; during a depressive episode, the same person might struggle to get out of bed and feel hopeless. The first episode usually shows up in the teenage years or early adulthood, and symptoms are often subtle enough to be overlooked or misdiagnosed.
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Becoming a student of your own emotional rhythms
Bipolar disorder is very treatable, but most people don’t recognize the warning signs for years. Recognizing the pattern is the first step. Therapy helps you become a student of your own emotional rhythms: monitoring, listening to, and talking about mood shifts in a non-judgmental space. It also supports building a consistent, healthy lifestyle across finances, diet, exercise, relationships, and sleep, and helps you assemble a trustworthy team of professionals and people around you, something that makes a real difference in how well people manage the disorder over time.
Medication works best alongside ongoing support
Medication is often foundational to treatment, but it works best alongside support that helps you build routine and understanding.
You might recognize some of this
You can start where you are.
- Intense mood swings that last for days, weeks, or months
- Periods of unusually high energy, impulsivity, or reduced need for sleep
- Periods of exhaustion, hopelessness, or self-loathing
- Trouble concentrating, making decisions, or handling normal stress
- Disrupted eating and sleeping patterns
- Impulsive decisions, like overspending, that feel out of character
- Difficulty functioning at work, school, or in relationships
This is a description of experiences, not a self-diagnosis checklist.
It may be time to talk to someone
You don't need to be in crisis to deserve support.
Consider reaching out if:
- Mood swings are lasting days, weeks, or months rather than passing quickly
- Periods of high energy or impulsivity are affecting your finances, job, or relationships
- Periods of low mood leave you unable to function day to day
- You've been overlooked or misdiagnosed and symptoms keep recurring
- You want support building a consistent routine alongside medical treatment
You don't need a diagnosis in hand already: recognizing the pattern is enough to start.
Approaches a therapist may draw on
We match the approach to you, not the other way around. Your therapist may draw on one or several, depending on what fits.
Understand your emotional rhythms and build steady routines.
Helps you track and understand your emotional rhythms and build consistent, healthy routines that support stability alongside medical treatment.
Therapists who work this way: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)Skills for riding out intense mood swings.
Builds skills for tolerating and regulating intense mood swings so highs and lows feel less disruptive to daily life.
Therapists who work this way: Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT)A therapist who fits your situation
Our registered therapists have real experience helping people through what you are facing.
Dr. Cathryn Harris
Registered Psychologist
PhD, C.Psych.
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Cathy Penny
Registered Social Worker
BA, BSW, MSW, RRP, RSW
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Rev. Chad Tomlinson
Registered Psychotherapist
MTS, MEd, MA, OCT, RP
Couples, Families, Individuals
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Michelle Pennells
Counsellor and Art Therapist
HBA, DTATI (Thesis Pending)
Families, Individuals
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Common questions
Yes. Bipolar disorder is very treatable, though most people don't recognize the warning signs for years. Recognizing the problem is the first step to getting it under control, and with proper treatment and support, therapy can help restore functioning and quality of life.
Not always. While some people experience distinct episodes between highs and lows, most experience depression more often, and the manic cycle may be milder and go unrecognized.
No. It can affect eating and sleeping patterns, self-discipline, concentration, decision-making, ability to handle stress, conflict resolution, spending habits, and sex life, along with judgment, memory, and energy levels.
It is not directly hereditary, but it does run in families. Biological and genetic factors play an important role, though stress does not cause the disorder. It often triggers it.
Medication is foundational to treatment and helps prevent relapse, but it is a management tool, not a cure. People who stay on medication are far less likely to relapse, and having a competent medical doctor is essential.
Yes. Many people learn to manage the disorder and go on to live very productive, successful lives with education, work, and skill development.
Care you can lean on
Sessions with our registered therapists are covered by most extended health and workplace benefit plans. Not sure what yours includes? We're happy to help you check before you book.
Sessions typically start at $150 and vary by therapist. Not sure where to begin? Our Intake Specialists can talk through fees, coverage, and which therapist fits what you are facing. Call (905) 319-1488 during business hours.
Ready when you are. We're here to listen.
Browse our registered therapists and reach out when you're ready. We'll usually reply within one business day.