Riding the Roller-coaster — an invitation to a workshop program

Have you had bipolar disorder for a while? Tired of having to rebuild after each episode? During the time since you first developed symptoms, you will have built up a wealth of experience with bipolar disorder / manic depression. At this workshop program, you can build on that experience to develop a personalised system to live well and with confidence.

This workshop program is for pairs comprising a person with bipolar disorder and a chosen supporter, who together gain the involvement of a treating doctor or clinician.

'At some point I must loosen the tag on my forehead that says 'bipolar' and just get on with it. Otherwise I become obsessed about my illness and then I become my illness'(1)

When
Where
What you will get from the main workshop
Key outcomes for participants with bipolar disorder
Key outcomes for supporter participants
Principles
Workshop materials
Cost
Cancellations
Things to consider before you register
How to register
Our approach – adult education
About the presenter

When

The program has four stages:

Main workshop: Saturday or Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Each pair of participants will develop a draft bipolar management plan to discuss with a selected mental health professional.

A visit, by the person with bipolar and their supporter to a doctor, psychiatrist or mental health worker to discuss your draft plan, and gain his or her involvement in it and commitment;

Follow-up workshop: Saturday or Sunday three weeks from the first workshop for three hours, at a time agreed at the first workshop, to finalise your personal bipolar management plan;

Celebration and final fine-tuning of plans at a date to be set. This can be as creative as you like!

Where

For privacy, the venue will be advised to you after you have registered. It will be serviced by public transport (metro) or in a regional town (rural).

What you will get from the main workshop

By the end of the workshop, everyone will be able to:

describe the basic medical concept of bipolar disorder

explain how mood, activity and thinking all change during episodes

distinguish between symptomatic behaviour and other behaviour

Together we will have

identified your reliable early warning signs of becoming ill
organised in advance what you and your supporter are going to do to put the brakes on your advancing illness and stop it in its tracks;
identified your major alert signs that signify you are getting very ill;
organised in advance what you and your supporter are going to do to ensure you have a safety net to prevent disasters at home, work, with money etc. Your safety nets should also aim to keep you alive! They include making an emergency plan for access to emergency medical services when/if you need it.
prepared a draft bipolar management plan to discuss with your key mental health clinician.
worked out strategies for optimal health in the long term
understood and discussed the idea that life is a long journey
had a lot of fun and laughter at the expense of our 'demon'

Outcomes for participants with bipolar

confidence to plan ahead and satisfaction that you have developed more control over your bipolar disorder―not to mention your life!
your clinician's role will be spelled out clearly, with his or her agreement and commitment. You will able to use your clinician's services better.
your role in the management of your bipolar disorder will be spelled out clearly and your responsibilities at various stages negotiated and agreed.
your supporter will understand and agree what his or her role is in helping in the management of your bipolar disorder.
a more relaxed and confident supporter!

Outcomes for 'supporter' participants

easier to assist your friend, having negotiated how and when you will assist;
your friend's clinician's role will be spelled out clearly, with his or her agreement and commitment. You will be able to use the clinician's services better.
your role in your friend's management of their bipolar will be negotiated and spelled out clearly and your responsibilities at various stages negotiated and agreed.
your friend will understand and agree what is his or her role in managing his or her bipolar disorder.
a more relaxed and confident friend!

Principles

The person with bipolar disorder takes the main responsibility for his or her management of the condition;
The supporter agrees to 'borrow' some or all of that responsibility, only to the extent necessary and as agreed in advance, and hand that responsibility back as soon as the condition permits

Workshop materials

Program notes

Personal workbook

Poster materials

Letter outlining the program to take to the clinician whom you have invited to participate

Action plan showing tasks for all three people

Cost

$460 per person. This fee covers the entire program. Fees must be paid in advance.

Cancellations

Refunds will be made only on evidence of illness or other critical incident. Where there is a cancellation within 24 hours of the first day of the program registration fees will not be refunded.

Things to consider before registering

To benefit from the program the person with bipolar needs to be well, i.e. at least three months, and preferably six, since the last major episode or hospitalisation. If you have had a more recent bout of illness, you can apply to attend a later workshop. If you have only had one episode you are welcome to come, but the workshop will be of more benefit to those who have had several episodes because of the experience you build up of how the illness behaves for you.

The supporter you ask to accompany you need not be your partner or a parent or other person who has been closely involved in helping you. If you're not getting along at the moment or things are strained, consider asking someone else. A big advantage is that a new supporter may not be tied up with any of the fall-out of your previous illness.

If you have been encouraged by someone else to attend this workshop, and you are unsure or unwilling to attend, please trust your instincts. If you do not believe you would benefit from the program it is better not to enrol. There will be further workshops in the future if you change your mind.

You will need to make an appointment with your doctor, psychiatrist or mental health worker for some time between the first and second workshops. Select the person you can work with the best and/or the one who is the easiest to get hold of in an emergency.

How to register

Download the workshop brochure & registration form.

Adult education approach

This program uses project management techniques and applies them to the context of bipolar disorder. It is a non-accredited adult education program.

However, confidentiality considerations will be observed as if it were a clinical program.

This program is deliberately non-aligned with mental health services or government-funded rehabilitation services. In this program you will be treated like an adult as we assume you prefer! No external funding is available to this program and therefore the costs are fully met by participants.

Please note this is adult education, NOT a clinical or health-based program. The presenter is a qualified adult educator and author but is not a qualified counsellor or health professional and any suggestions made by the presenter or others in the program should be verified with a relevant health professional.

About the presenter

The presenter, Madeleine Kelly, holds the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training and is an accredited trainer. She studied medicine at the University of Melbourne for more than four years before bipolar disorder forced her withdrawal. She co-founded MoodWorks in the early 1990s and has provided various versions of this program since then. She has had bipolar disorder since her late teens and has experience as a partner of a person with bipolar disorder.

Madeleine's publications include:

Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding Two Trees Media, Strathbogie 2005, the second edition of Life on a Roller-coaster: living well with depression and manic depression Simon & Schuster Australia, 2000

The Rainbow Angels Two Trees Media, Strathbogie, 1995, a story for children explaining bipolar disorder in a parent.

'Approaching the Last Resort: a Parent's View' in Children of Parents with Mental Illness, Cowling, V (Ed) ACER Press, 1999

Questions?

Email Madeleine or phone 03 5664 7325

A 40 year old lawyer with bipolar disorder, quoted in Russell, SJ Browne JL 'Staying well with bipolar disorder' ANZ J Psych 2005;39:187-193

Bipolar and the Art of Roller-coaster Riding

A new edition of the award-winning book by Madeleine Kelly, former medical student, sufferer of bipolar, partner of someone with bipolar and parent of two kids who have bipolar parents.....in other words, this book is by someone who has 'been there'.

Practical, funny, comprehensive, authoritative, provocative...and really useful too.

Read the reviews, or more about the book

Two Trees Media — the Bipolar Experts

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