Bipolar Disorder Therapy for Adults in California
Specialized therapy for adults living with bipolar disorder who want greater mood stability, stronger routines, and a better understanding of their patterns and triggers.
Lately you've been feeling like you are just a passenger going along for the ride that is the roller coaster of emotions.
You may have experienced the highs and lows that come along with extreme mood changes, and everything in-between.
If you're looking for a therapist who understands bipolar disorder and can help you develop practical strategies for managing mood changes, sleep, routines, relationships, and early warning signs, schedule a free 15-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit. CLICK HERE to schedule a free consultation.
Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition that causes significant changes in mood, energy, activity levels, sleep, and thinking. These changes can include periods of depression as well as periods of mania or hypomania. Bipolar disorder is more than ordinary mood swings—the shifts can be intense enough to affect relationships, work, daily routines, decision-making, and overall quality of life.
There are several types of bipolar disorder, including Bipolar I Disorder and Bipolar II Disorder. Bipolar I involves episodes of mania, while Bipolar II involves episodes of hypomania and major depression. Some people experience relatively clear episodes, while others notice more subtle changes in energy, sleep, motivation, irritability, or behavior.
Bipolar disorder can look different from person to person. You may experience periods when you feel highly energized, productive, confident, or motivated, followed by periods of depression, exhaustion, hopelessness, or difficulty functioning. You may also find yourself struggling to understand whether a change in your mood is part of your usual personality, a response to stress, or an early warning sign of a mood episode.
Therapy for bipolar disorder can provide a place to better understand your individual patterns and develop practical strategies for maintaining greater stability over time.
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Living with bipolar disorder can affect much more than your mood. Changes in energy, sleep, motivation, thinking, and behavior can create challenges at work, in relationships, with finances, and in your everyday routines.
During a depressive episode, you may experience low motivation, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, loss of interest in activities, changes in sleep, or feelings of hopelessness. Even basic responsibilities can feel overwhelming.
During periods of hypomania or mania, you may notice increased energy, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, increased confidence, impulsivity, irritability, or difficulty slowing down. These changes can sometimes feel positive at first—especially when you feel unusually productive, creative, or motivated—but they can also lead to decisions or behaviors that create problems later.
Bipolar disorder can also create uncertainty between episodes. You may find yourself constantly monitoring your mood, worrying about another episode, trying to determine whether a change in sleep or energy is significant, or feeling frustrated that your mood does not always seem predictable.
Over time, these experiences can affect:
Work and productivity: difficulty maintaining consistent energy, concentration, or routines
Sleep: changes in sleep patterns can both accompany and contribute to mood instability
Relationships: mood changes can affect communication, emotional availability, and trust
Daily routines: maintaining consistent schedules can become difficult during periods of depression or elevated mood
Decision-making: impulsivity or racing thoughts can sometimes lead to choices that have lasting consequences
Self-confidence: repeated mood episodes can leave you questioning your ability to trust yourself
Future planning: fear of another episode can make it difficult to feel confident about long-term goals
Therapy for bipolar disorder can help you develop a clearer understanding of your patterns so that you can respond to changes earlier and build routines that support long-term stability.
How Bipolar Disorder Can Affect Your Life
Bipolar disorder is often described as a condition involving "mood swings," but this phrase can make the experience sound much simpler than it actually is.
Bipolar mood episodes involve changes in mood, energy, activity, sleep, thinking, and behavior. These changes can last for days or weeks and may significantly affect how you function.
For example, an elevated mood episode may involve:
Feeling unusually energized or driven
Needing significantly less sleep without feeling tired
Having racing thoughts or talking more quickly than usual
Feeling unusually confident or optimistic
Taking on numerous projects or responsibilities
Becoming more impulsive or willing to take risks
Feeling unusually irritable or easily frustrated
Having difficulty slowing down or recognizing when you need rest
A depressive episode may involve:
Persistent sadness or emptiness
Loss of interest or pleasure
Low energy or fatigue
Difficulty concentrating
Changes in sleep or appetite
Feeling slowed down or overwhelmed
Increased self-criticism or guilt
Difficulty keeping up with work, relationships, or daily responsibilities
Bipolar disorder can also involve subtle early warning signs. A change in sleep, increased goal-directed activity, irritability, spending, social activity, or racing thoughts may occur before a more significant mood episode develops.
Learning to recognize your own early warning signs can be an important part of managing bipolar disorder. Therapy can help you identify patterns, understand your triggers, and create a plan for responding to changes before they become more disruptive.
Bipolar Disorder Isn't Just Mood Swings
Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) for Bipolar Disorder
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One of the approaches I draw from in working with bipolar disorder is Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), a specialized therapy approach developed specifically for people with bipolar disorder.
IPSRT focuses on the connection between mood, daily routines, sleep, and relationships. Rather than focusing only on what happens during a depressive, hypomanic, or manic episode, therapy can also help you identify the patterns and disruptions that may increase your vulnerability to mood episodes.
For many people with bipolar disorder, changes in sleep and daily routines can be especially important. A late night, inconsistent schedule, increased activity, travel, work demands, relationship stress, or other disruption may affect your mood and energy. Learning to recognize these patterns can help you develop a more consistent foundation for mood stability.
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Depending on your individual needs, therapy may focus on:
Sleep and daily rhythms: Developing more consistent sleep and wake times and identifying changes in sleep that may signal a shift in mood.
Daily routines: Creating realistic routines around work, meals, exercise, social activities, and other areas of daily life.
Recognizing early warning signs: Learning to identify changes in energy, sleep, mood, motivation, or behavior that may occur before a mood episode.
Managing disruptions: Developing strategies for responding to changes in routine, travel, stress, or other disruptions that may affect mood stability.
Interpersonal relationships: Exploring relationship stress, communication patterns, boundaries, and interpersonal events that may affect your mood.
Managing stress: Identifying ways to reduce vulnerability to mood episodes while still maintaining a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Creating a mood stability plan: Developing practical strategies for responding when you notice changes in your usual patterns.
The goal isn't to create a rigid schedule or make your life revolve around managing bipolar disorder. Instead, we work toward creating sustainable routines that support your mood while still allowing flexibility, relationships, work, and the things that matter to you.
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IPSRT can be particularly helpful if you have noticed that changes in sleep, routines, relationships, or stress seem to coincide with changes in your mood. It can also be useful if you want to become more proactive about recognizing early warning signs rather than waiting until a mood episode becomes difficult to manage.
Therapy can be tailored to where you are now—whether you're recovering from a recent mood episode, trying to maintain stability, adjusting to a bipolar diagnosis, or looking for strategies to prevent future disruptions.
If you're looking for a bipolar disorder therapist in California who understands the importance of mood stability, sleep, routines, and interpersonal relationships, I can help you explore whether therapy is a good fit for your needs.
Who I Work Best With
Bipolar Disorder Therapy for Adults Who Want More Stability and Understanding
I work best with adults who are looking for specialized therapy for bipolar disorder and want more than general support for anxiety or depression. You may understand your diagnosis but still feel uncertain about your mood patterns, triggers, routines, or what to do when you notice changes beginning to emerge.
You may be a good fit for my practice if:
✔️ You Want to Better Understand Your Bipolar Patterns
You may be trying to make sense of changes in your mood, energy, sleep, motivation, or behavior. You want to recognize your personal patterns and understand what may contribute to depressive, hypomanic, or manic episodes.
✔️ You're Looking for More Than Crisis Management
You don't want therapy to be something you turn to only when you're struggling. You want to become more proactive about bipolar mood management, recognize early warning signs, and develop strategies that support long-term stability.
✔️ You Struggle With Bipolar Depression
Periods of depression may leave you exhausted, unmotivated, disconnected from the things you normally enjoy, or struggling to keep up with work and relationships. Therapy can help you gradually rebuild routines, increase meaningful activity, and develop strategies for managing the emotional and behavioral effects of bipolar depression.
✔️ You Experience Hypomania or Notice Changes in Your Energy and Sleep
You may notice periods when you need less sleep, feel unusually energized or productive, take on more projects, become more impulsive, or feel like your mind is moving faster than usual. Therapy can help you recognize your individual early warning signs and develop a plan for responding to changes before they become more disruptive.
✔️ You Want to Build More Consistent Routines
Sleep and daily rhythms can play an important role in bipolar disorder management. You may be looking for help creating more sustainable routines around sleep, work, exercise, meals, social activities, and other areas of your life without feeling like your entire life has to revolve around your diagnosis.
✔️ You're High-Achieving but Struggling Behind the Scenes
You may be successful at work, responsible, creative, or accustomed to handling things on your own. From the outside, everything may look fine while you're privately trying to understand significant changes in your mood, energy, sleep, or functioning.
Therapy can provide a space to work on bipolar disorder without reducing you to your diagnosis.
✔️ You Want a Practical, Collaborative Approach
You may be looking for a bipolar therapist who will work collaboratively with you rather than simply listening and offering general advice. Our work can focus on understanding your patterns, identifying what is and isn't working, and developing practical strategies that fit your actual life.
✔️ You're Interested in Preventing Future Mood Episodes
If you've experienced previous depressive, hypomanic, or manic episodes, you may want to become more aware of the factors that affect your mood and develop a plan for maintaining stability. Therapy can help you identify early warning signs, strengthen protective routines, and develop strategies for responding to changes in mood and functioning.
✔️ You're Looking for a Therapist Who Understands Bipolar Disorder
If you're searching for bipolar disorder therapy in California, you may want a therapist who has specific experience working with bipolar disorder rather than someone who simply treats depression and anxiety.
My approach incorporates principles of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT), along with other evidence-based therapeutic strategies, to help adults better understand bipolar disorder, strengthen daily rhythms and relationships, and work toward greater mood stability.
How to Get Started
1
Complete the Phone Consultation
Schedule a free 15-minute phone call consultation. Robyn will call you at the time you select. If it is a good fit, you will be scheduled for your first appointment.
2
Complete Forms Online
Complete intake forms on the secure client portal no later than 24-hours before your first appointment.
3
Start Therapy
You will have your first comprehensive intake assessment appointment ($250). Then weekly 50-minute therapy sessions ($225).
“You no longer have to feel like your emotions and your life are beyond your control.”
— ROBYN TAMANAHA, LMFT
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