The Bipolar Therapist, with Marcia Naomi Berger

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When a sudden onset of manic episodes lands her in a psychiatric ward, what is an established, respected psychotherapist to do? With an otherwise firm sense of self and an openness to new insights, Marcia Naomi Berger confronts the stumbling blocks of shame and stigma. A series of close friends and mentors stand by her through challenges with abusive colleagues, conflicted relationships with men, estrangement from her mother, and confusion about what truly matters.

Written after decades of keeping her struggle with mental illness a secret, Berger’s memoir, The Bipolar Therapist, depicts the author’s struggle with, and recovery from, bipolar disorder. The book also describes how Berger’s times as a psychiatric inpatient influenced her work positively as a psychotherapist serving psychiatric and alcoholic inpatients. 

Marcia Naomi Berger, LCSW, is a psychotherapist who helps couples and others create fulfilling relationships. She also wants to help replace the stigma around mental illness with compassion, understanding, and respect. While employed by the City and County of San Francisco, she held senior-level positions in the fields of child welfare, alcoholism treatment, and psychiatry. She also served as executive director of a family service agency and as a lecturer at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. She is the author of Marriage Meetings for Lasting Love and Marriage Minded: An A to Z Dating Guide for Lasting Love.