Counselling & Everyday Support
Bi-Polar Disorder
Support for the changes.
Space for the whole person.
Living with bipolar disorder can affect your routines, relationships, and sense of wellbeing. Counselling can help you navigate these experiences alongside your medical care.
Tell us what you need support with.
Care guided by your needs
Room for your questions
In-person, virtual & phone options
UNDERSTANDING BI-POLAR DISORDER
More than everyday
ups and downs.
Bipolar disorder involves episodes of significant changes in mood, energy, sleep, and activity. These changes can affect daily life and are different from ordinary shifts in how you feel.
Experiences vary. People may have periods of depression, mania or hypomania, and periods of feeling well. Some episodes include both elevated and depressive symptoms.
Mania & hypomania
These can involve unusually high energy or irritability, needing less sleep, racing thoughts, or impulsive decisions. Mania is more severe and may require hospital care.
Depression
Episodes may bring low mood, loss of interest, low energy, changes in sleep, and difficulty concentrating. Everyday tasks and staying connected can feel harder.
These experiences can have different causes. A qualified healthcare professional can assess symptoms and discuss a diagnosis.
OUR COUNSELLING SERVICES
There is no single way
to experience the world.
Neurodiversity describes the natural variety in how human brains work. People differ in how they learn, pay attention, communicate, process information, and respond to the world around them.
“Neurodivergent” is often used to describe people whose ways of thinking and processing differ from what is considered typical. This can include autistic people, people with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome, and many other experiences.
Neurodiversity is not itself a diagnosis. Each person has their own strengths, challenges, and support needs. Recognizing differences also means taking difficulties, disabilities, and barriers seriously.
Counselling at MHASO
Support for what matters in your life.
Recognizing patterns
Explore changes in mood, sleep, and stress. Build awareness of early warning signs and discuss when to reach out to your care team.
Relationships & communication
Talk about how mood episodes affect relationships, practise expressing your needs, and explore boundaries and sources of support.
Your experience is about more than a diagnosis. Talk with our intake team about your concerns and whether a clinician is a suitable match. Depending on your needs, counselling may focus on:
Building steady routines
Work toward manageable habits around sleep, daily responsibilities, and self-care that support your wider treatment plan.
Coping & moving forward
Make space for difficult feelings, adjust to a diagnosis, and identify personal goals that matter to you.
Part of a wider plan for care.
Treatment commonly combines medication and psychotherapy. Counselling supports this care; it does not replace medical assessment or medication management. Discuss medication questions with your prescribing clinician.
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE
A little clarity
before you begin.
You can ask about your options before deciding on the next step.
Do I need a diagnosis to contact MHASO?
You can contact the intake team to explain what you are experiencing, even if you are unsure what to call it. They can discuss whether counselling at MHASO fits your needs. If you need a diagnostic assessment, speak with your healthcare provider about the appropriate next step.
Can I talk about other concerns too?
Let the intake team know about anxiety, substance use, relationship stress, or anything else affecting you. Sharing your main concerns helps the team consider an appropriate clinician match.
Can family members find support?
Ask about MHASO’s family counselling services if you are supporting someone with bipolar disorder. Support can include communication, boundaries, and the impact on family life. Involving loved ones in your own care is something to discuss with your clinician.
What if I need help right away?
If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. If you are thinking about suicide or worried about someone who is, call or text 9-8-8, available 24/7 in Canada. For local mental health crisis support, call 613-722-6914. Seek urgent medical assessment for suspected mania, losing touch with reality, or rapidly worsening symptoms. Use urgent services rather than waiting for an intake response.