Clinician Referral Packet

Group Coaching for Partners of People with Bipolar Disorder

A 12-week, evidence-informed coaching program for the partners of people living with bipolar disorder. A referral resource for therapists, psychiatrists, and community organizations.

FORMAT: Live, online

LENGTH: 12 weeks

GROUP SIZE: Max 8

NEXT COHORT STARTS: Aug 3, Mon 8:00PM ET

Facilitated by Yoyce Geronimo Galvan, M.A.

M.A. in Clinical and Counseling Psychology  

Founder of Held & Seen Coaching; Senior Director of Peer Support Services at Partnership to End Addiction; former Research Manager at Rutgers University 

10+ years researching, designing and leading family support programs in serious mental illness, addiction, trauma, and behavioral health 

Published researcher and presenter at national conference learn more

Their Partner Needs Support Too

If you are currently treating someone living with bipolar disorder, their partner may be carrying a heavy, often invisible burden with little support of their own. This program was created specifically for them. 

  • Consider Passing This Along If Your Client's Partner...

    ✓ Feels like they're walking on eggshells at home

    ✓ Has become the default emotional caretaker in the relationship

    ✓ Feels guilty setting boundaries

    ✓ Has lost friendships or a life outside the relationship

    ✓ Describes chronic emotional exhaustion or hypervigilance

    ✓ Wants a place where their own experience is the focus.


  • Not Appropriate If...

    ✗ Active domestic violence requiring crisis intervention

    ✗ Active, untreated psychosis in the participant themselves

    ✗ Immediate suicide risk

    ✗ The couple is seeking joint relationship therapy

    ✗ Individual therapy is clinically indicated instead

Who This Program Is For

This group is for partners and spouses of people living with bipolar disorder, not the person with the diagnosis. It offers structured support, across 12 sessions, participants receive psychoeducation, practical exercises, and between-session practice. It is a resource you can offer to partners. 

12-Week Curriculum Overview

  • The program moves through four phases: stabilizing and naming the experience, regulating the nervous system, engaging differently in the relationship, and rebuilding an identity beyond caregiving.

Explore the curriculum

Why Therapists Refer?

Research on caregivers and partners of people with serious mental illness consistently points to elevated chronic stress, caregiver burden, and emotional exhaustion, often without the same access to support the diagnosed individual receives. This program addresses that gap directly, combining structured psychoeducation, skills development, and peer support.

If you are treating the person diagnosed with bipolar disorder, colleagues refer their client's partner to this group because it can help:

✓ Offer psychoeducation and skill-building the partner can use on their own

✓ Reduce the partner's isolation through structured peer connection, without changing your treatment plan for your client

✓ Build the partner's own boundaries and communication skills, which can reduce conflict and reactivity at home

How to Refer?

Get in touch.