i'd run not walk away from that psychiatrist!! he/she gives many good doctors a bad name in the profession.
i'm sorry that you are having to go through this change. when i moved to another state i had to leave behind my awesome psychiatrist and phd psychologist. they had worked with me for over 12 years. when i arrived in sc i found that psych.docs did psychotherapy as well as med checks. however in the past i was strongly advised to use a phd psychol. for my therapy and a psychiatrist for my meds. this was a successful plan for me. i had to research phd psychol. in sc to find a suitable (but lacking) therapist until i moved to another state.
as long as you are stable a 15 minute med check is ok. i believe the law requires this 3 month med check on all patients on medications for mental disorders. however there was often the time in early treatment that i requested and got a longer appointment with my psychiatrist because it was needed. i hope you can find the same arrangement with a psychiatrist. you could use it as a question in an "interview" appointment which i strongly also reccomend. (i actually do the interviewing -when i move around- not the doctor, to assure myself of a good match for me.) i believe we need to state our needs at the time or our needs will probably not be met. in other words communication with our doctors is important for our treatment.
i have never heard of psychologists that do not work with bipolar patients! how odd. i would continue to research psychologists in your area that are trained cognitive behavioral therapists. this area of treatment works well with bipolar people like us.
i wish you well on your search. it is very important to have caring, trained professionals in our lives. it has enabled me to have a much more balanced recovery with my bouts of bipolar episodes.