HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
Florida Lawyers Assistance, Inc. Partners in Self-Care( Continued)
BRUCE BLITMAN
CAROL PARKS
Some legal professionals( 25 %) choose to voluntarily engage in this process after recognizing their need to have a supportive environment while they grapple with life’ s terms. Others enter FLA as a result of Bar involvement and need to mitigate consequences. Either way, FLA’ s mission is clear – with kindness and compassion, we coordinate and facilitate wellness initiatives from the inside out.
Students find FLA to be helpful as they seek conditional admission if they have“ blemishes” on their records, either small or large. Participation in FLA and establishing a pattern of sobriety and mental health stability often mitigate any difficulties with obtaining admission, conditional or unconditional, if they maintain compliance.
When to reach out:
Most professionals have difficulty reaching out for help. Shame, embarrassment, fear, self-loathing, and denial may prevent those who need services avoid action. Often, the significant others( colleagues, life partners, etc.) surrounding them will notice stress-related or substance-related symptoms long before consequences begin to appear. Some of the most common behaviors to be on the lookout for are:
• Calling out sick before or after a weekend or holiday, unusual tardiness, returning late from lunch
• Lack of concentration or productivity, which represents a change from previous behavior
• Bloodshot eyes, persistently flushed face( of course not due to another medical condition) or pinpoint pupils
• Unusual bursts of irritability or anger, excessive energy which is disruptive
• Excessive fatigue, loss of energy, depressed mood
• Isolation and indecisiveness
• Disheveled appearance
• Financial problems
• Missing court dates, missing deadlines, not returning telephone calls
• Avoidance of social and employmentrelated gatherings
• DUI’ s, reckless driving charges, or other substance-related arrests
Intervention, prior to suffering significant consequences, is the goal. No longer is“ hitting bottom” the gold standard of care. It is not necessary to lose everything in order to heal. Preventative measures in the form of education and support are often fundamentally sound tools to begin the journey and to assist in avoiding a cascade of negative events as progression occurs. Employers, colleagues, and life partners can be part of the solution by compassionately addressing these behaviors before severe consequences appear.
FLA can serve as a resource by guiding interested parties in having an honest conversation. We can offer resources. We can also present a lunchtime Zoom CLE program addressing wellness initiatives, free-of-charge.
How to reach us:
If FLA can be of service to you, please feel free to reach out to me personally or to one of our staff members to determine if our services may be of benefit to you, either currently or in the future. All calls are held in the strictest confidence. We can be reached at 954-566-9040. Our website is fla-lap. org.
Executive Director Carol Parks joined FLA in July, 2022, bringing comprehensive expertise in addiction, concurrent illness, ethics and boundary violations, and trauma. Since the 1990’ s, Carol has worked intensively with struggling attorneys
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 16 and physicians, and has developed great proficiency supporting highly-skilled professionals engaged in high-stress careers. In her clinical career of 40 years, Carol has served as a clinical therapist, peer-professionals’ trainer, and program manager in substance abuse and mental health programs ranging from a small boutique facility to a psychiatric hospital with more than 100 beds. Carol also has enjoyed more than 45 years of personal sobriety, and her recovery experience fuels a deep passion for helping others. Known for her compassionate and empathic approach, Carol works tirelessly to educate, treat, and support those experiencing difficulties. Carol was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University( Penn State) in 1978, received an M. S. in Mental Health Counseling from Nova University in 1980, and earned her M. B. A. from St. Leo University in 2013.
Bruce A. Blitman is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit, County and Family Mediator in Palm Beach Gardens. He serves on the Health and Wellness Committees for the Palm Beach County and Broward County Bar Associations. His email address is Babmediate @ aol. com.