HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. Partners in Self-Care
BRUCE BLITMAN CAROL PARKS
Who we are:
It comes as no surprise that lawyers are under tremendous pressure and stress in their chosen careers. Substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and increased stress are present at alarming levels, according to ABA studies. Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc., a non-profit corporation formed in 1986 in response to the Florida Supreme Court’ s mandate to offer support, was designed to assist judges, lawyers, and law students who are struggling with these life challenges.
Who we serve:
Among the elite occupations designated as“ safety sensitive professionals,” legal professionals are often tasked with protecting the rights of others while negotiating their own day-to-day lives of relationships, mental health concerns, raising children, and / or caretaking their elderly parents, to name but a few. Attorneys work long hours, manage the lofty expectations of their employers and clients, navigate general life stressors, and meet challenging deadlines. This is a recipe for trauma and compassion fatigue; the cumulative result of the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects of being repeatedly exposed to others’ trauma while working in a helping capacity. Over time and without effective self-care strategies, this repeated assault wears down coping skills and challenges our ability to concentrate and manage stressors.
What we do:
FLA offers a variety of free and confidential support groups to help navigate the stress of everyday living and practice. Our website( www. fla-lap. org) offers the Zoom information for these groups and we invite your participation. Currently we offer groups at noon on the following days of the week:
• Tuesday o Bipolar and Depression support group o Law Student support( 12:30 PM)
• Wednesday o Attorney Stress Management Support Group
• Thursday o Paralegal and administrative team support group o Caregiver’ s support group
• Friday o Working Mom lawyers support group
Other resources are available on our website and include past presentations from workshops that address stress management, meditation, practice management, and trauma. As previously mentioned, we offer CLE presentations in person or via Zoom on a variety of topics that include stress management, anger management, and compassion fatigue. Our staff is available to confidentially discuss an employee, a family member, or a personal issue in a judgment-free and productive manner.
How we serve:
FLA is also designed to help legal professionals when they are in need of accountability to assist in managing substance abuse, mental health concerns, and cognitive issues in a more formal and supervised process. This may include a supervised evaluation process followed by an accountability contract with attorneyled support group meetings, therapist facilitated group therapy, psychiatric monitoring, individual psychotherapy, and toxicology screenings.
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BECOME A PBCBA ANNUAL SPONSOR
Make your mark and gain unparalleled exposure by becoming an annual sponsor of the Palm Beach County Bar Association. Strengthen your brand, connect with legal professionals, and show your support for the local legal community.
We sincerely thank our current sponsors for their continued partnership. As we ring in the new year, join us in advancing the legal community and celebrating the opportunities that sponsorship creates.
For more details, please visit: palmbeachbar. org / sponsorship
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 15