Coaching for Bipolar

The peaks and troughs of life as a metaphor for bipolar. The beautiful view on a windy, freezing day in the Blue Mountains of Australia – credit

I know how hard it is to work with bipolar disorder. As soon as you have a diagnosis there’s this fear that comes in the form of, “what does this mean for me?”. There’s this sudden lack of self trust that comes from feeling like a ticking time bomb of not really knowing when the next swing is going to be.

There’s the possibility of soaring to an amazingly high and exciting place (often without drugs), and then the feeling that no matter what happens, I’ve passed the peak and I’m burning out now. I’m in the cycle and I’m crashing but there’s nothing I can do about it.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are steps that we can take to get in touch with ourselves, to realise that the one we are afraid is unpredictable is in fact ourselves. To meet ourselves in our experience so that we don’t have to live in that fear. One way to do this is to start to record what happens in my days, usually the morning after as I think about the day.

To help with this process I’ve made a free resource sheet (yes it’s yours to take, print and fill out daily as a self reflective exercise).


Even though every client is unique, there begins to form a pattern of similarities between people. Bipolar is a condition that happens to people with brains which is to say that it’s unnecessary to feel like an alien when you are gifted this diagnosis. You are still human, you are still having an honest experience and you can have your life back.

All it takes is a little bit of practice and a little bit of learning. I often find the western medicine system puts us at odds with our own psyche, with some patience and guidance, I believe it’s possible to work with ourselves in such a way as to see incredible integration with ourselves.

It’s easy to feel less than other people because of a diagnosis but I believe that having access to the highs and lows of life in the way that bipolar brings them to us, is a benefit that helps us to clear out our underlying psychological conditioning to enable us to live a fuller, richer and more productive life than other people. If treated with respect, bipolar can be a blessing in disguise.

When I work with bipolar I use principles from:

  • Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)
  • Internal Family Systems Therapy
  • Alexander technique
  • Meditation and mindfulness
  • Somatics

Each person is different, not every client is suited to every coach, it’s best for both of us if you book an initial meeting to see if we fit and a working relationship is going to be fruitful.

For my coaching I usually charge at $200/hr but I recognise that is not going to be affordable to everyone. If you need to access coaching on the grounds of compassionate concession, get in touch and let’s see if we can work out an affordable price point.

You can get in touch via:

While you are waiting, feel free to ponder the question, “how do I want to relate to my condition?” because it’s always easier to work, if we know where we want it to go.