Bipolar Recovery is Ongoing

Event Overview

In this interactive talk, we will discuss what the recovery journey looks like for each of us, and what we can do to move ourselves in that direction. Different models and techniques for recovery will be presented and explained. Various resources will be available for access during the presentation and afterwards.

When living with bipolar disorder, it’s best to conceptualize recovery as an ongoing Process and an equilibrium to be established as opposed to a static end goal. We are never 100% sick or 100% well. We fluctuate and our lives happen somewhere in the middle.

We’ll have an interactive discussion about this concept and how it might affect us.

At the end of the talk, Andrea will ask for participants for a free trial of her brand new 8 week program to address and treat self-stigma in bipolar disorder. More details on this below.

You can add this event to your calendar ahead of time, or just join live by clicking this Clubhouse link:

click to replay

Andrea Vassilev is a fourth-year doctoral student working towards her Psy.D. in clinical psychology. Her primary research interest and clinical specialty is bipolar disorder.  Her dissertation, titled “Overcoming Self-Stigma in Bipolar Disorder: An Intervention”, involved the creation of the first ever English language program to address and treat self-stigma in bipolar disorder.  The intervention will be made publicly available to clinicians in the future. 

Professionally, Andrea enjoys working with young to middle-aged adults with mood, anxiety, trauma, and personality disorders. She loves helping her clients navigate issues of identity as well as life changes. Her aim is to guide each person to discover their goals and live their best life. Other clinical interests involve sensorimotor/somatic techniques to treat trauma and the use of yoga in psychotherapy. She also enjoys conducting psychological assessments and tackling complicated diagnostic cases. Andrea has had the opportunity to present her research and writing at various conferences, including the American Psychological Association and the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Personally, Andrea dedicates herself to mental health outreach, awareness, and advocacy. Her primary passion is the fight to eradicate stigma regarding mental illness  and heal self-stigma in those living with these conditions. To that end, she collaborates and presents with the International Bipolar Foundation, NAMI, Bipolar Support Club International, and a variety of other groups. These talks cover  a variety of topics both academic and personal. She hopes that telling her own story of life with bipolar disorder through the lenses of clinical causes, treatments, and outcomes will provide education, hope, and comfort to others.

Andrea has been honored with a number of scholarships through her university as well as independent organizations. These include the Lucile Morrison Award for Students with Disabilities and the Bridge the Gap scholarship from the Quell Foundation. 

Links

Reference Material used during the talk

Reference document for WRAP discussion click here

Trial Program

Self-stigma has been shown to have an enormous impact on the quality of life of those with bipolar disorder. And the worst part is, most of us don’t even realize it’s happening!!

If you’re interested in tackling this problem and improving your self-esteem, confidence, self-acceptance, and a ton of other mental and emotional outcomes, this is a great opportunity to do so.

Andrea is looking for individuals to be a part of the pilot group for the first ever full program to address self-stigma in bipolar disorder. Andrea worked for nearly four years to research, develop, write, and publish this program as part of her doctoral dissertation. It has received wonderful academic and clinical reviews but now it’s time to try it out in real life!

The group will take place over Zoom and we will meet for an hour a week for 8 weeks. The entire process is full of interesting and enlightening activities that will help you foster a new perspective on things you haven’t even considered before.

If you’re interested in participating, please fill in the form below. Any questions can be emailed to: groups@ossibd.com