Early Detection and Treatment for Bipolar Disorder

Kirsten has over 15 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and manager in the field of serious mental illness and psychotic disorders. Kirsten has worked within the Psychotic Disorders Division at McLean Hospital since 2008. In 2012, she began the McLean OnTrack first episode psychosis program, treating young adults experiencing their first onset of bipolar illness and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. She grew OnTrack into a thriving multi-disciplinary program that has served hundreds of young adults and their families. In 2020 Kirsten completed the three-year International Certification Training Program in Dialogic Practice and is one of a small group of certified trainers in the country. 

She is currently the Program Director of the Appleton House residential treatment program, a 24/7 residential for adults with psychotic and bipolar disorders at McLean. She received her Master’s in Social Work from Simmons University. During her graduate studies she was drawn to the relationship between personal-clinical development and academic research, an overlap she continues to explore. Kirsten will be starting her PhD in Social Work this coming fall at Boston University.