Phyllis Elliott, LCSW-R, is the author of Thriving on the Bipolar Roller Coaster: How To Succeed With Bipolar Disorder. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State for the past ten years, she was a mental health counselor on the brink of entering graduate school when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Ms. Elliott graduated from Fordham University in 1997 with a master’s degree in social work. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

She serves as a Program Development Manager for Family Ties of Westchester, Inc. in Peekskill, New York, where she manages a resource center offering support, education and advocacy to families with children who have social, emotional and behavioral challenges for Family Ties. In addition, Ms. Elliott has a private counseling practice, which includes patients with bipolar disorder and their families.

She has been a speaker at numerous conferences around the country, using her experience and clinical knowledge to bring coping skills and hope to people facing a variety of challenges.
Ms. Elliott has been involved with families dealing with various disorders and behavioral problems for more than a decade, working as an Intensive Case Manager and a Family Resource Specialist before becoming a Program Development Manager. She began her career as a counselor at a community residence for mentally ill adults and has worked steadily in her field since 1992.
Since her diagnosis at age 44, she has been dedicated to finding ways to help people with bipolar disorder progress in life.
As a patient, Ms. Elliott learned firsthand how difficult it can be to navigate the challenges and the ups and downs presented by bipolar disorder. As a family member, she can understand how heartbreaking it is to want to help but not know how. In her role as a licensed therapist, she has been able to successfully treat patients using a variety of concrete strategies.

These experiences – as a patient, a mental health professional and family member of others with mental illness – have made Ms. Elliott uniquely qualified to write and speak about succeeding in the face of bipolar disorder.

Ms. Elliott lives in New York State with her husband and is the mother of three children and grandmother of four. She can be reached at 845-234-3928 or pe46@comcast.net.