I would think that his doctor would be able to help you find some help close to you for your brother. If not, check with Department of Mental Health in your area. Or maybe we could help if we knew more about where you are.

Most psychiatrists only dispense meds. Most do not do pschotherapy. They leave that for counselors. Unfortunately, the best treatment for bi polar is medication. Therapy helps if you are stable, but in my experience, it has never helped my hubby and he now is off his meds as well.

I seem to have the best luck when my son is in counseling along with medication. Depending on where you live there are counselors that come in home to see how the person interacts in their home environment: ex: Catholic Charities, MHMR, etc. You might see if something like this is available to your brother.

We have a Human Resource center in our town, "Pontiac, IL." but he does not want to go there because he thinks they are beneath him. They have psychiatrists there but he would rather have me drive him an hour away. If they have psychiatrists there, wouldn't they have therapists?

as i recently learned there are 2 main parts of seeking professional help: pdocs (pyschiatrists) and tdocs (therapists). pdocs will just monitor the meds, and you are right that they only see him for a few mintues every month, which is pretty typical. therapy only works if he is wiling to go. my husband started seeing a therapist, then stopped, claiming that it was a waste of his time. thankfully this new pdoc we are seeing kinda does therapy and meds at the same time - sees him every few weeks for a meds adjustment and check-in. maybe you can find a pdoc that will do something similar?
have you tried introducting him to this site? the BP community board is SUPER active and very supportive. I introduced my husband to DS and he goes on every so often and interacts with others like him. I think it is a good "therapy" that he gets on his own terms.

When I was seeing a psych for my anxiety, it was the same story. He asked me a few questions, wrote the script, and sent me on my way. I didn't really like that at all, so I searched on my insurance's website until I found a psych that did both talk therapy and prescriptions. They're rare (the guy I saw was in his 70's because most younger psychs just prescribe) but they exist.

It really depends on your PDoc. Some actually chat with you more than 2 seconds and some just cycle you through. One of the problems is that they schedule everything so tight so they really don't have time to chat. My wifes Pdoc has both of us come in and spends 20 minutes just talking with us before doing anything with the meds.

Yes -- very few psychiatrists have the luxury of taking the time to talk with you these days. It depends both on the insurance provider and the frequency of visits. For example, if you are stable on meds and only come in four times a year or less, the doc will often take a little more time on those visits.

My guy would never agree to go to a therapist, and when he talked with a pdoc, he was seldom honest (my opinion) -- well, he was PARANOID, for heaven's sake, what did we expect???

In the UK, the p/doc sees a person as and when necessary. My mum's careteam have had to really push to get a psychoanalyst for her, and she had to wait a year to see one (That's the NHS for you, but I suppose at least it is free).
At the moment they are pushing to get a group therapy for her to combat her anxiety attacks, goodness knows how long she will have to wait.

The p/doc currently sees my mum once every 3 months for about 15 mins. Her GP prescribes her meds.

My BP brother had same sistuation, never really had gotten psychotherapy, just 5 min. with pdoc 4x year. Now off meds,no pdoc, totally messed up. The meds alone cant do it. My daughter has had both types of pdocs. Most are too over scheduled. It works best if a pdoc and tdoc work in tandem, and the tdoc can advise the pdoc on the patients situation.
Maybe there is a support group closer to where you live. Maybe there is one for you too.