Programme delivery
The psycho-education offered through the
BEP-C groups is similar to that of the
self-management groups run by Bipolar
UK (formerly the Manic-Depressive Fellowship),
although its course runs over a
single weekend rather than 10 weeks.
Bipolar UK groups are also overseen by
people with bipolar disorder, while ours
are run by clinical staff.
Participants are encouraged to contribute
their insights; this is as important
as the material provided by the facilitators,
who make it clear that they are not total
experts on bipolar disorder and are fallible
in their knowledge.
The physical position of the facilitators
changes subtly over the duration of the
course. At the beginning, they normally
sit/stand at the front of the room but, aftera few weeks, they move to the side of the
room to encourage the group to run itself.
This approach is a useful way to use participants’
knowledge and encourage them
to become active in the process. Participants
may accept and trust the views of
their peers more than clinicians; their
becoming more active also satisfies the
“helper-therapist” phenomenon, whereby
participants gain satisfaction when others
find their suggestions helpful.