Foundational supports... the gap not covered by NDIS

@Dimity I am in talks with an organisation where it could be an informal art space. I have absolutely no intentions of working as one. Just there is a void for people with bipolar with no support groups. Nothing. Apart from here where I can trust in others and share my story. That is something at least. I am doing art for a PhD student and it has been great to get back into creativity.

I'm not aware of any support groups around Melbourne either @Sequester . Best of luck with your PhD, I know it can be a challenge to fit creative practice into the traditional academic mould of scholastic referencing.

I am doing the research for a PhD student from Perth who said there were no in person groups for bipolar there either. I wonder if there is anywhere where you could meet? It can be lonely with this condition.

@Sequester I've just seen that Bipolar Life / MHFA run some groups.

I had a look. That's good if you're in Knox Hill or Melbourne. Good to see there are a few ones out there. Sadly nowhere near me.

There's a number of them across the metropolitan area @Sequester. Some aren't listed on some Web pages.

I live in regional NSW and there is nowhere nearby, but thank you anyway.

@Sequester - I recently had art therapy removed from my plan because "it does not relate to my diagnosis"

Sorry, who is art therapy for, if not those with cptsd/mental illness? Why is there an art therapy space in almost every public and private psych ward in the country? I am not sure if i can use my remaining funding for therapies for art therapy - i've been told i can by my mental health team, but i do remember at my planning meeting that the NDIS said specifically you cannot have art therapy.

I think offering volunteer art therapy would be an amazing offering u bring to the table. As Dimity said, we cannot dm.

@Dimity art therapy is one of the things that was impacted by the changes to the NDIS, it was taken away from my plan personally and new restrictions. The NDIS is so stupid :(

That person's behaviour sounds very disgusting at the group dimity, i'm sorry you were unsafe when u should've been safe and that it was allowed re splitting the groups.

re ndis, i have been advertising for sws lately, looking for new ones. My mental health case management team said that I could bring the SWs to the clinic, to "interview them." i love this!!!!

another eye on them so they better not try any dodgy stuff!

Finding SWs you trust and can rely on isn't easy @EternalFlower and if your team can help screen them and see they're a good fit it would be incredible. I wonder if you could make that the free meet and greet the care platforms allow (you could short-list them first). Your team sound very supportive.

I don't understand why art therapy wasn't allowed. I took part in the big campaign to save music therapy. When I had a series of hospital admissions in my 30s the art therapy was fantastic. It wasn't offered when I was in hospital last year.

I think the provider's people must have discussed my dropping out from the craft group, given what they said and did at my next exercise group. It made me feel pretty uncomfortable. The mental health support groups I've looked at aren't close so the taxis would be expensive.

@Sequester

I'm in Victoria, where both the Mental Health & Wellbeing Locals run by the state government, and Primary Health Network both run art therapy groups

MHFA runs an online mood disorders group available to those outside vic https://supportgroup.mhfa.org.au/mood-disorders-support-group-online

I attend a different group, but have heard good things about that