Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions sections are often used to keep people from contacting the company. We would much prefer that you contact us directly, but have included this common feature in our website for your convenience and to show the kind of questions that we get most often. You may find that your questions are much more common than you expected. The answers are organized by audience type and you can navigate directly to your area of interest with the links on the left side.
Bipolar
- Does Bipolar Advantage take Health Insurance, Medical, or Medicare?
- Sometimes. Bipolar Advantage does not work directly with health insurance companies. Check with your provider to see if some of our classes or services would be reimbursed by your provider. Some therapists and psychiatrists that take in new patients by referral from Bipolar Advantage do take some health insurance and you can check with their offices. You can ask our Personal Advocate services to get this information for you.
- What is the cost of the Bipolar Advantage Program?
- The Advantage Program represents a coordination between many providers and our educational and outreach services. Individual programs vary a great deal, so your cost will vary. Contact our Personal Advocate who can give you free consultation on where you can begin in the program and what costs you might expect.
- Is the Advantage Program a residential treatment program?
- No, it is designed to be available to working professionals, students, and all those who would like to make use of the intensive-weekend, learning workshops. Advantage Program participants are stable, and able to learn in a friendly, professional setting. We do help those in need of more intensive treatment through our Personal Advocate Program.
- Are there people like me in the workshops?
- Yes, this is one of the most commonly expressed ideas from workshop participants -- that it is a relief to meet so many really great people who are dealing with the same things and are so willing to share and be supportive of each other.
Friends & Family
- What can I do about my son/daughter who is in denial?
- It is understandable that one would be in denial when the prevailing belief is that we are doomed to a terrible life. What we need is to present a life worth living so that one would begin to accept his/her condition and start taking the steps necessary to change. Our Talks and Workshops help a great deal and our Personal Advocates can relate very well because they share the same conditions.
- What can I do to get my family member to come to your workshops?
- We know many people experience some similar kinds of resistance that we can mention here:
- Resistance due to failure of previous programs, previous hospitalizations, or other bad experiences. Please let your family member decide. Our talks, books, and videos are an obvious first step that usually give your family member the confidence they need to sign up. But you can point out the positive views of Bipolar Advantage, the positive approach and the quality of the programs. You can schedule a Personal Advocate session at any time if you think that will be helpful.
- Resistance because a family member is unstable, recently hospitalized, or refusing medication. Unfortunately this person is probably not a good candidate for our workshops. Let our Personal Advocates talk to your family member and start a relationship with your family to make sure they reach stability and that your family relationships are contributing to success and support.
- Resistance because family dynamics and trust have broken down. When friends and family take our workshops and learn from our Education Team, the changes you make in your life will contribute to the peace and stability of your home and your relationships. As a result your family members with a mental condition may decide that the workshops are worth taking too!
- Denial. This is the most common and the most easily understood. Has anyone offered your family member a life worth living? Has any program or book they have read offered them a logical path to success? When we are able to offer results worth striving for then there is no reason to avoid taking the workshops.
- Does Bipolar Advantage take Health Insurance, Medical, or Medicare?
- Sometimes, Bipolar Advantage does not work directly with health insurance companies. Check with your provider to see if some of our classes or services would be reimbursed by your provider. Some therapists and psychiatrists that take in new patients by referral from Bipolar Advantage do take some health insurance and you can check with their offices. You can ask our Personal Advocate services to get this information for you.
- What is the cost of the Bipolar Advantage Program?
- The Advantage Program represents a coordination between many providers and our educational and outreach services. Individual programs vary a great deal, so your cost will vary. Contact our Personal Advocate who can give you free consultation on where you can begin in the program and what costs you might expect.
- Are there people like me in the workshops?
- Yes, this is one of the most commonly expressed ideas from workshop participants -- that it is a relief to meet so many really great people who are dealing with the same things and are so willing to share and be supportive of each other. Many family members, parent/child or spouses attend together.
- Is the Advantage Program a residential treatment program?
- No, it is designed to be available to working professionals, students, and all those who would like to make use of the intensive-weekend, learning workshops. Advantage Program participants are stable, and able to learn in a friendly, professional setting. We do help those in need of more intensive treatment through our Personal Advocate Program.
Therapists
- Do Bipolar Advantage Speakers have any experience with speaking directly to doctors and therapists?
- Yes! Our speakers have addressed physician and therapist groups large and small. We can provide references, press packets or other information that you need to make your decisions.
- We have a specific topic or theme for our event. Will Bipolar Advantage Speakers create a talk around that subject?
- Yes! Please contact us and we will be happy to arrange this with you.
- Do you offer CEU Units?
- Yes, Bipolar Advantage is certified by the California Board of Behavioral Health (PCE#4050) to offer CEU Units for talks and workshops for MFT and LCSW. More Information
- Why would a Bipolar Advantage Workshop be appropriate for our group?
- Unlike a one hour talk, a workshop is experiential, gives information in more detail and is taught using accelerated learning techniques as a facilitation with group interaction. All workshops are appropriate to consumers, families and mental health professionals. Providing excellent material in an intensive learning format will provide a unique experience that will change lives. Advantage workshops can also provide a platform for questioning, discussion and revelation about presumptions in mental health.
- We are interested in partnering with Bipolar Advantage, Inc. Is there a process set up to do that?
- Yes, please contact us and we will start the process.
Mental Health Organizations and Government Agencies
- Do Bipolar Advantage Speakers have any experience with organizations like ours?
- Yes! Our speakers are well known to Mental Health organizations in the non-profit sector and government agencies. We can provide references, press packets or other information that you need to make your decisions.
- Does Bipolar Advantage do consulting work for government organizations in behavioral or mental health?
- Yes! We are encouraged by the number of counties that have expressed interest in implementing programs similar to what we advocate. They have invited our team in to try to make this a reality.
- We have a specific topic or theme for our event. Will Bipolar Advantage Speakers create a talk around that subject?
- Yes! Please contact us and we will be happy to arrange this with you.
- Can you give us advice on other speakers or organizations that will be interested in our mental health event?
- Yes! Bipolar Advantage has broad connections across the fields of Mental Health and wants to cooperate to make your event a success.
- Why would a Bipolar Advantage Workshop be appropriate for our organization to help sponsor?
- Unlike a one hour talk, a workshop is experiential, gives information in more detail and is taught using accelerated learning techniques as a facilitation with group interaction. All workshops are appropriate to both consumers and families. Providing excellent material in an intensive learning format will provide a unique experience that will change lives.
- Do you offer CEU Units?
- Yes, Bipolar Advantage is certified by the California Board of Behavioral Health (PCE#4050) to offer CEU Units for talks and workshops for MFT and LCSW.
- Are Bipolar Advantage Books appropriate for sale at our events, or to include in our library?
- Yes! Our books are challenging the status quo, engaging the reader in an unorthodox perspective. They also offer very logical and attainable practices for improving lives for those with mental conditions and those that love and support them. DVDs are wonderful tools for group discussion at your classes and support group meetings. WE also have free videos for those with an internet connection.
Colleges
- Do Bipolar Advantage Speakers have any experience with college audiences?
- Yes! Many of our speakers are, or have been college/university professors. We can provide references, press packets or other information that you need to make your decisions.
- We have a specific topic or theme for our event. Will Bipolar Advantage Speakers create a talk around that subject?
- Yes! Please contact us and we will be happy to arrange this with you.
- Can you give us advice on other speakers or organizations that will be interested in our mental health event?
- Yes! Bipolar Advantage has broad connections across the fields of Mental Health and wants to cooperate to make your event a success.
- Why would a Bipolar Advantage Workshop be appropriate for a College or University to put on?
- Unlike a one hour talk, a workshop is experiential, gives information in more detail and is taught using accelerated learning techniques as a facilitation with group interaction. All workshops are appropriate to both faculty and students. Providing excellent material in an intensive learning format will provide a platform for questioning, discussion and revelation.
- Are Bipolar Advantage Books appropriate for required texts?
- Wherever a fresh perspective or a personal outlook is included in the course material, our books are especially effective; challenging the status quo, engaging the reader in an unorthodox perspective and making the case for change in the field of mental health.
Businesses
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
- Theodore Roosevelt
- What is a Bipolar Economy?
- A Bipolar Economy is what we have right now. In recent weeks the shock waves in the market have shown moves of 500 points or more in both directions. These symptoms are wild and uncontrollable with swings of highs to lows resulting in panic buying and selling.
- Is there any evidence that a Bipolar Economy is an advantage for business?
- Yes, there’s a great deal of evidence. Companies can and do prosper during times of economic turmoil. What do GE, Disney, HP and Microsoft have in common? They were all startups during steep declines in the U.S. economy. GE started during the panic of 1873, Disney started during the recession of 1923-24, HP began during the Great Depression, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft during the recession of 1975. All these companies realized that they had an advantage by adopting a different mindset, a different way of seeing the crisis. They saw it as an opportunity.
- How can a business turn market turmoil into an advantage?
- By bringing in experts who can shift a business’s thinking from a reactive fear-based response to a crisis to one that is creative and opportunistic. At Bipolar Advantage we have that expertise.
- What is this shift in thinking?
- Generally speaking, those companies that not only survived but also thrived during the Great Depression were those that continued to act as though there were nothing wrong and that the public had money to spend. In other words, they advertised and took advantage of their creative capital; those people who already knew how to manage the ‘mood swings’ in their own personalities. Those that know how to creatively think outside the box and are able to use deep introspection to explore opportunities in a crisis are the ones who excel in turbulent times. These are industries that didn't wait for public demand for their products to rise. They created that demand even during the most difficult of times.
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