What is successful therapy?

It's the time of the year..

What does successful therapy look like? How would you define it?

My therapist says I seem more balanced and we should work on maintenance. She also talked about the balance between heart and brain.

I think it's about not getting yourself in a situation where you're feeling you just don't know. I used to feel like that a lot, I'm at the verge of something, not knowing which steps to take, being very opinionated but not pulling them though.
Or in a rope pulling argument where you're not actually sure where you stand, because it's not going anywhere/ going to go anywhere.

If you end up in there it's going to get messy, your reactions are not consistent, you over react or avoid the thing completely.
Waste your time on things not worthy of your time, on things that only make you sad.
Perform things because it's expected, just to not hurt someone's feelings, perform them with no heart.
Falsely justify things, not taking the responsibility. Being illogical, unconsciously doing things that lead to difficulties, going ahead of things. Not initially taking care of yourself.
Successful therapy isn't about landing you on a dx. But straightening things out and finding new paths.

Talk.

Helping you reach your goals (relationships, career) and overcome any obstacles in the way. Bipolar doesn't mean you can't be successful, it just takes even more effort. Correcting negative and incorrect thinking is a big one. People with bipolar tend to have poor coping skills managing stress/anxiety and difficulty in relationships. They also have poor judgement sometimes and they do think differently than your average bear. This can be a strength and weakness. Hypomania can attract people to you and Bipolars tend to be creative which can be useful in your career. OTOH depression can repel people and you have to recognize your moods and how to change them. A good therapist should be able to help you with this and more.

Wise words z7z. I've been feeling like I don't have anything to offer here. Felt crippling anxiety even during therapy.

Drifting away from the person you were, it causing issues, added obstacles and confusion in interaction with others. Even and especially with those you thought you were so close with.
All just much needed steps and development.

Animal friends though <3, my cat just layed his head on my foot. Yes, today wasn't a good one.

I am not currently in therapy. It didn’t work out with the last two ladies I saw. I don’t like people telling me what to do. I think it’s important to find the right therapist. I’ve had a few really good ones, and some not so good ones. I have a somewhat bad case of Bipolar so I think I really should be seeing someone.

My sister is in the process of obtaining a life coach certificate. She said I would be the perfect candidate to get some coaching. I plan to soon talk with a coach and am already working on the goals I would like to achieve.

I just don’t want someone to pressure me to do something that I don’t want to do. The last therapist I saw didn’t have a lot of experience and wasn’t giving me much feedback. The lady before her was pressuring me to work or volunteer and that’s not what I needed at that point in time.

We’ll see how me seeing a life coach works out. Perhaps I should keep looking for an amazing therapist. I am determined to make positive changes in my life. I am ready to take charge of my life and find my higher purpose.