[Fuzzybear]

How much do you feel that your bipolar affects your ability to colour inside the lines that somebody else has set?

1. If you agree with those lines/boundaries?

2. If you find those lines/boundaries very restrictive? Or maybe, conversely, ''too loose''...

This could particularly apply to therapy? If you have had a ''favourite therapist'' was that therapist very firm, or more relaxed with their boundaries?

Was or is the therapist open to negotiation? (I have not found the therapists I have consulted to be open to this... which to me seems unhelpful

Which style of therapy/therapist has or is helping you the most with your growth/managing bipolar?

I posted in someone else's thread here about how I think the idea in therapy is that it's a collaborative effort...

How do you feel if the therapist suddenly changes their boundaries? This has happened to me (this was not a good therapist He was not kind about it, and I do not think it was necessary either. ) Would you terminate the therapy? (I wish I had done )

I hope this makes sense

[Victoria'smom]

I hold stricter boundaries then most of my T's/ pdoc's.

The best therapist I had read my notes and was a crisis therapist early in her career. She made it so I felt she was fighting with me against this. Made it easier to seek help later. She wasn't squishy and she trusted me to handle myself. That didn't mean we didn't have heated discussions mainly around the ethics of forced psychiatric treatment and hospitalization. I've always been able to negotiate with my T's/Pdocs. Even at my sickest. My ex pdoc let me go home and check myself into the hospital After my family left that day. I think it helps that I make them aware that I've always dealt with MI. My safety measures, and how terrified I am of the hospital. The one thing though is most T's will not work with me unmedicated. My current T says she's willing to try but has her reservations about it given my Dx and being very symptomatic even on medication.

If boundary's changed I would probably just roll with it. I've only ended my therapy with one T because she was a *****. I've gone through several under the pretense I need a higher level of care.

[fern46]

What lines?

When I work with someone in a profession other than my own I research their field to try to understand it at a conceptual level. As a consultant and analyst this is very natural for me. This helps me when I work with them as I am able to ask questions about strategy and approach while we work together. I think it helps when they realize I am invested and want to understand what they are asking of me and why at as deep a level as I can. I do this while maintaining respect for their expertise. There's a fine line between knowing a bit about a subject and asking questions and questioning someone's skills because you read a few books.

I typically try my best to follow their advice. I offer them my trust while trusting in my own ability to create change if needed. If anything does not resonate, I let them know ahead of time I'm uncomfortable with it and ask for an alternative. Otherwise, I do my best to work with the plan. When I return, I provide an overview of what worked, what didn't and what I would like to change. And then we collaborate. That's a great word for it. I also like cocreate.

So in regards to my therapist, I don't know what her boundaries actually are. I've never found the sides of her box. We created our own geometry together. There are so many cooler shapes than boxes.

I am doing my part and she's doing hers. If that changes, I'll advocate for something that works better. The same is true for my pdoc experience. They both have shared that I am atypical and that working with me is different than working with a lot of their clients. I think that's great. I don't want my plan to look like anyone else's. I'm unique and I deserve a unique experience, right?

[Wild Coyote]

HI Fuzzy! Great idea for a thread! Thank you!

I have had a lifetime of living outside of the box.

I tend to set the boundaries with some T's. I have been told, repeatedly, that I am the most boundary-aware client they have ever known.
The various T's I have had over the years have had very different styles. I have found I can negotiate having my therapeutic needs met.

I have had to realize that some T's have different skills/talents to bring to the table.

I hope everyone is able to negotiate something with their T . While we go to therapy for similar reasons, we are all very different/unique in our viewpoints, backgrounds, experiences, our own talents/gifts and more. We all deserve a very individualized therapeutic plan for meeting our goals. The cookie-cutter approach lacks creativity and fails to honor the individualized needs of each client.

Love to All!