You're doing everything you can to help — and yet, it's still not working.
Hi, I'm Amanda Rebel. And even though we haven't worked together yet, I bet I know a few things about you.
Does any of this sound familiar?
You've tried so many approaches. You've read the books, attended the appointments, and advocated at school. And still...
You're at a loss on how to help — so many strategies tried, so little progress made.
You're exhausted trying to navigate the rollercoaster of moods and behaviors.
You feel like you're failing as a parent, and hitting rock bottom is the new normal.
Your relationships are fraying. You feel isolated, misunderstood, and judged.
You're carrying grief, fear, and anger you haven't had space to fully process.
You're not sure what the illness is, and whether it's just being a teenager or a young adult.
You are not alone in this. And there is a better way forward — for your child, and for you.
Imagine what's possible
A stronger relationship with your child. The confidence to navigate a crisis. A clearer understanding of the illness — and your role in it. Time and energy left over for yourself. The feeling that you are, in fact, a good parent.
That's what this work is about.
What we work on together
Parenting a child with a mood disorder requires a different kind of support — one that centers you, the parent. Our work together spans six core areas:
1. Understanding the illness
Learn what works — and why standard parenting approaches often backfire. Build a clear framework for navigating mood episodes at every stage, from early warning signs to crisis situations.
2. Becoming a treatment expert
Fully understand what's being recommended for your child and learn how to navigate the medical, mental health, and school systems with confidence. Know the full range of available paths — and how to take them.
3. Processing your own experience
Work through the grief, fear, anger, and trauma that often come with this journey. Your inner life matters — and tending to it makes you a more present, effective caregiver.
4. Building family support systems
Strengthen the family bond even in the most difficult stretches. Create realistic expectations, reduce isolation, and cultivate connection within and beyond your home.
5. Coping strategies for you
Develop practical tools to stay grounded when everything around you feels chaotic. Learn to regulate your own stress so you can show up for your child when it counts most.
6. Reconnecting with yourself
Reclaim the parts of your life that have been put on hold — your relationships, your work, your sense of self. You matter too, not just as a caregiver, but as a person.
How I work
My approach draws on evidence-based modalities tailored to the unique challenges parents and caregivers face when raising a child with a mood disorder:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you identify and shift the thought patterns that keep you stuck in stress and self-blame.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) builds distress tolerance and emotional regulation skills for the hardest moments.
Acceptance-Based Framework (ACT) supports you in developing a compassionate, grounded relationship with uncertainty and pain — because some things can't be fixed, only navigated.
Expressive Arts Therapy works from the neck down, using creative and body-based approaches to process past experiences, build a stronger mind-body connection, and develop new ways to stay present. Rather than relying solely on words, this work opens a different kind of door: one that can bring insights and responses that talk-based approaches alone sometimes can't reach.
Psychoeducation gives you a clear, working understanding of mood disorders so you can parent with knowledge instead of fear.
This work is also about creating a space that belongs entirely to you — somewhere steady when everything outside feels unstable. A place to set down what you've been carrying, be honest about how hard this is, and find your footing again.
A little about me
After more than 15 years as a mental health provider working with children, teens, adults, and families navigating mood disorders, I kept noticing the same gap: parents were desperate for guidance, left to piece together answers on their own while managing one of the hardest experiences a family can face.
I knew more had to be done. Parents don't just need support — they need a specialist who understands the complex, often overwhelming landscape of bipolar disorder and other mood conditions from the inside out. That's the work I've built my practice around.
Frequently asked questions
Is this therapy for me, or for my child? This therapy is just for you — the parent or caregiver. Sessions are a dedicated space for your experience, your needs, and your growth. I do not provide therapy to the child or teen, and I do not work with couples or the family as a whole.
Where are you able to work with clients? I offer parent coaching to caregivers anywhere in the world — no matter where you live, you can access this support. For licensed psychotherapy, I work with residents of Colorado and California.
What's the difference between parent coaching and psychotherapy? Parent coaching focuses on practical skills and strategies for navigating the day-to-day challenges of raising a child with a mood disorder. Psychotherapy goes deeper — exploring your emotional landscape, processing past experiences, and addressing the mental health impacts of caregiving. We can talk through which approach fits best during your free consultation.
What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't help? That's more common than you might think. Effective therapy depends on two things: finding someone with the right specialization, and finding someone you genuinely connect with. Both matter. General therapy doesn't always address the very specific dynamics of parenting through a mood disorder. I'd love the chance to show you what a more targeted approach can look like.
Ready to find your footing?
I offer a free 15-minute consultation — a chance to ask questions, get a feel for my approach, and see if we're a good fit.
Open Circle Counseling Offers Individualized Treatment For Bipolar Disorder
My approach to bipolar disorder treatment is eclectic and individualized to your needs. (*Please note that I ask that clients with a bipolar I diagnosis be on medication, and I am happy to provide a referral to a prescriber if needed.) In addition to working with clients who have a clinical diagnosis of bipolar I or II, I work with those who sense that their moods occur on a cycle or that past diagnoses of anxiety or depression don’t fit quite right.
Treating symptoms on a spectrum, my approach to therapy for bipolar disorder acknowledges nuance and can offer insights that may not be accessible via other interventions. With newfound perspectives, you will develop a better understanding of yourself and your needs.
What To Expect
Using a combination of behavioral therapies, creative exercises, and holistic lifestyle changes, my goal is to help you discover a neutral middle ground that feels much more sustainable than a rollercoaster of highs and lows. I will also incorporate psychoeducation to help you understand the cycle of bipolar so you can better anticipate and manage your symptoms.
Some of the bipolar disorder interventions I incorporate are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – allows you to understand the difference between when you’re spiraling into depression or mania so you know which skills to engage
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – teaches mindfulness and distress tolerance skills so that you can manage triggers
Body-based approaches – including breathing, relaxation, and stress management exercises that will help you stay present and build up your ability to focus
Expressive Arts Therapy – tapping into the nonlinear process of creativity to promote nonverbal expression, flexibility, and self-trust while reminding you of your inherent inner gifts and strengths
No matter how severe or helpless you feel your symptoms have become, there is a way out of the cycle. Therapy provides you with a lifelong toolkit for managing your baseline and moods so that you can live with more balance, ease, and satisfaction.
Still Unsure If Therapy Is Right For You?
I haven’t had success with therapists who specialize in bipolar disorder in the past—how do I know that treatment with you will be different?
I absolutely understand how important it is to foster a supportive, beneficial connection with your therapist, which is why I encourage all prospective clients to set up a consultation call with me. Hopefully, this call will give you a sense of my personality and communication style.
If you decide to take the next step, we will schedule a first appointment during which we will discuss your goals for therapy and how my unique, eclectic, mind-body approach to treatment is particularly helpful for managing bipolar symptoms.
It may also be helpful to consider that I myself have a bipolar II diagnosis. Although I have not walked in your exact shoes, I know what it is like to live with the impact of a mood disorder. I am passionate about helping others discover their specific type of mood challenge, offering insight on how they may be able to manage and control symptoms, and researching the most up-to-date treatment interventions.
I’m worried that even if I go to therapy, my symptoms will just get worse.
When working with clients with bipolar, I like to use the metaphor of steppingstones—I believe that small “wins” or changes are the key to making big shifts. I have confidence that therapy can help you build those steppingstones to cross the water. And if you fall, I’m here to throw you a lifeline.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong experience and like any mood disorder, symptoms are cyclical. There will be times when you don’t feel like you’re progressing, but the function of treatment is to offer you lifelong tools and “a second set of eyes” to help you anticipate and manage symptoms. I’m also happy to collaborate with fellow providers to reinforce treatment interventions if you are also working with a prescriber or physician to ensure that you are receiving the most thorough, coordinated care possible.
Sometimes I don’t even know how to describe what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling—how can therapy help me then?
Not all therapy has to be talk therapy, and, in fact, this is precisely the situation where expressive arts and body-based approaches can be helpful. We will use creative exercises to help you explore your emotions beyond words, and mindfulness exercises can be incorporated when words feel overwhelming.
Additionally, I have a wide variety of books, videos, and articles I can share to help you find the vocabulary you need to describe your moods, emotions, and thoughts so you can better understand your experience.
Your Moods Do Not Define You
If you struggle with bipolar disorder, treatment through Open Circle Counseling can help you achieve a new baseline for your mental health. You are not alone in this, and stability is possible. Contact me to find out more about my approach.
[1] https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-whos-at-risk
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