Alfredo Borodowski

I am Alfredo Borodowski, Ph.D., MSW, “The Bipolar Rabbi.” In June 2013, I was arrested for impersonating a police officer. I was hospitalized and diagnosed with bipolar. In the ensuing weeks, I was fired as executive director of a prestigious institute and ridiculed by the press as “the Road Rage Rabbi.” My world collapsed. I then spent several months paralyzed on a couch with depression. But I persevered and thrived once again, becoming a social worker. A factor tipped the scale in my favor; I discovered Positive Psychology. Positive psychology studies the strengths that make us fulfill our potential. Knowing my strengths allowed me to overcome my negative thoughts and move forward.

My mission is to bring the wisdom of those with mental illness and their caregivers to society. Who knows better than us about courage, survival, darkness, uncertainty, and hope? We must end stigma by delivering our unique wisdom to the world.

Through my life experience and work as a coach, I tackle questions such as: “How to achieve happiness?” “Finding your key strengths for fulfillment?” “Is there a connection between the spiritual and our mental health? “How to defeat loneliness?

 My upcoming interactive book, “The Wisdom of Mental Illness: Finding Strengths in your Struggles,” invites readers to create a community of mental illness wisdom. 

Rabbi Alfredo Borodowski (the bipolarrabbi)