Therapy for Lawyers In California & Florida
Reduce anxiety & stress, decrease burnout, improve relationships, and find joy & purpose.
Reasons To Start Therapy For Lawyers
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the weight of your workload?
Are you afraid you won’t last much longer in this job?
Are your health and relationships suffering because of work?
Are you constantly under pressure to achieve billing targets and maintain a high standard of performance?
Do you struggle to find a balance between work and personal life?
We understand, and we want to help you work toward calm, confidence, and balance. We’ve got years of experience providing therapy for lawyers looking to live their best life.
Why Lawyers Often Need Therapy
For most lawyers, the high-stress life didn’t start with work or law school. It often started young. People who go into law are used to stressful, high stakes environments. This is usually childhood or adolescence. Somewhere along the way, you got the message that you needed to work hard to earn attention and connection. For some, it’s an adaptive reaction to trauma. Whether it was a difficult parent, intense sibling relationship, or competitive early academic environment, you started to conflate work with worthiness. The intense and fast-moving pace of life is now so normal, it might feel uncomfortable or stressful to think about slowing down.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can get off the hamster wheel of survival and into a groove of healthy productivity and meaningful rest.
“This Pace Feels Unsustainable”
We've heard this from many lawyers we've worked with in therapy. And it makes sense. Being a lawyer can feel like running a marathon at a sprint pace.
Work's Toll On Your Nervous System
When you're attached to your computer from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, your nervous system runs at 100 mph nonstop. In short stints, it can feel exhilarating. But after weeks and months, it's utterly exhausting. Over time, the toll on your nervous system to be constantly going this fast starts to show itself. Whether it's irritability, constant fatigue, cynicism, or apathy, it feels inescapable.
Lawyer Self-Neglect
Often what we see happening to people in demanding jobs is a deprioritization of self. We’d be willing to be your sleeping, eating, and exercising schedule is all out of whack much of the time. Self-care starts to feel like the least important item on your ever-growing to do list.
The Impossibility of Slowing Down
We also understand that changing the pace of your life feels threatening to your livelihood and/or impossible. How could you get as much done if you slowed down? Not only is it possible, it's going to be critical for your career longevity.
The Isolation of Life At This Pace
Living at a frantic pace can make you feel isolated. Other people in your life probably don't understand just how difficult it is for you to unwind and shift gears into relaxation mode. You'd love to relax more often if you could! But your body can't just downshift on command.
How Therapy Can Help
We can help you learn how to ground your nervous system and find a more sustainable long term pace. We can help you find ways to care for yourself and your relationships. And yes, we can do it without sacrificing the quality of your work. In fact, you might find that when you're not burning the candle at both ends, the quality of your work goes up.
Our Team Specializing in Therapy For Lawyers
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Alexis Bibler, AMFT
she/her
Adults, Couples, Teens, & EMDR
California
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Laurel Roberts-Meese, LMFT
she/her
Adults and EMDR
California, Florida & Pennsylvania
Washington & Virginia pending
Our Practice Is 100% Therapist Owned & Operated
NO algorithms - everything is customized to you and your needs
NO ethical compromises or data sales - your privacy and the quality of your care is everything to us
NO venture capital or outside funding - we focus on your satisfaction instead of investors’
Therapy for Lawyers: Helping You Thrive Amidst Pressure
Managing Stress
Being a lawyer is tough. The relentless demands of juggling cases, clients, and nonstop email can lead to overwhelming stress. From preparing briefs to meeting tight deadlines, law can be a pressure cooker of responsibilities. You don’t have much control over it, either, which only heightens the stress.
If something doesn't change, you're not sure what will happen.
Your stress is at all all-time high already. You're exhausted. Your friendships and relationships are suffering. Your inbox is overflowing. You never feel like you're doing enough. You never feel rested. And there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight.
We understand the challenges you face and are here to help you feel better. Our therapists have experience working with lawyers like you. We can help you navigate your work while taking care of yourself. Through open and non-judgmental conversations, we can equip you with coping strategies to manage stress.
Dealing With Burnout
Burnout is an insidious part of most lawyer's lives. It can erode the passion that fueled your interest in the field. You invest substantial energy, time, and emotional resources into your cases, colleagues and clients. But that leaves little for yourself. The exhaustion, cynicism, and detachment that come with burnout have a negative impact on your work. They also hurt your life satisfaction.
Addressing the signs of burnout is non-negotiable for your well-being and career longevity. We don’t want you to burn out of the field entirely. Our teletherapy sessions are designed to help you tackle burnout head-on. Our therapists will work with you to understand the root causes of burnout.
What’s Possible With Therapy For Lawyers?
Decreased stress
Greater career longevity
Better relationships
Better physical and mental health
More satisfaction from work and life overall
Common Concerns Addressed In Therapy For Lawyers
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High Stress Levels & Burnout
You probably feel overwhelmed by the demands of the profession, including heavy workloads, tight deadlines, and high client expectations. It’s exhausting. You worry about being judged by colleagues, clients, or peers for admitting that it’s getting to you.
Our therapists offer stress management techniques tailored to you in a confidential space. You don’t have to keep living life with your nervous system activated all day every day.
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Relationship Strain
People who aren’t lawyers just don’t get it. You can’t “just turn off” work to be present. Experiencing strain in personal relationships due to the demands and stressors of the profession is common. This is true regardless of career stage or relationship status.
We can help you improve relationships both at work and in personal life. Our therapists offer strategies to enhance communication and conflict resolution skills. We can help deepen and strengthen relationships and build greater understanding.
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Work/Life Imbalance
Struggling to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life is common for lawyers. Over time it leads to feelings of burnout or exhaustion. When work is always urgent, your own health and interests get deprioritized
We help lawyers can develop strategies to establish healthier boundaries and achieve a better work-life balance without sacrificing the quality of their work.
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Perfectionism
Many lawyers feel pressured to excel and achieve perfection in their work, leading to stress and anxiety. Some lawyers may be anxious about potential career repercussions if they lower their standards.
Our therapists help lawyers prioritize self-care and mental well-being, offering support to overcome perfectionism without fear of consequences.
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Job Dissatisfaction
Therapy can help lawyers who are feeling unfulfilled or disillusioned with their career choice, despite professional success. Some lawyers are concerned about being perceived as weak or vulnerable if they open up about their struggles in therapy.
Through therapy, lawyers can develop healthy coping mechanisms to address job dissatisfaction and explore feelings of vulnerability.
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Professional Identity
“Who am I without my work? Who am I in it?”
Many lawyers struggle with questions of professional identity, purpose, or meaning in the field. Some have a fear of not being accepted or understood by others due to the specific challenges of the profession. And more wonder what their sense of self would look like if they ever left the field.
Therapy can help lawyers explore these questions and more.
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Isolation & Lack of Support
Feeling isolated or lacking support from colleagues or superiors in navigating the challenges of the legal profession is common. Some workplaces have better culture than others, and it can have a huge impact on your wellbeing.
Therapy offers an objective space for you to examine how workplace culture influence your experience and mental health outcomes. Your therapist can help you figure out how to safely widen your support network.
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Fear of Failure
Endless pressure to succeed and meet expectations usually leads to fear of failure or inadequacy. Lawyers can develop catastrophic thinking about minor career moves or mistakes. They can be anxious about the potential consequences if sensitive information were to be revealed to others.
Therapy helps lawyers balance their thinking and decrease catastrophizing. Therapists help lawyers find a renewed sense of purpose and satisfaction in their careers, offering support to overcome fear of failure.
Nurturing Your Relationships
Long hours and tight deadlines can leave you feeling drained and disconnected from your loved ones. This might lead to less quality time spent together and a sense of detachment from family, friends, and partners. You miss them. You feel guilty you don't have more time for them. But you're not sure where to find more hours in the day for them.
We understand these challenges. Our teletherapy services provide a space to address these issues. We'll work together to develop a healthy work-life balance. We can help you nurture your personal connections while excelling in your career. We'll empower you to strengthen your relationships. You deserve to maintain and cultivate meaningful connections.
How Online Therapy For Lawyers Fits Your Busy Life
We know that time is your most precious resource.
That's why we offer online therapy. You can do therapy from your office, home, or any private location that suits your busy schedule. You can integrate therapy into your life without sacrificing quality care. Our platform allows you to connect with our therapists at a time that works for you, eliminating the need for time-consuming commutes.
The Efficacy of Online Therapy For Lawyers
Research conclusively says that online therapy really works. In fact, we know that the effectiveness of therapy relies heavily on the quality of relationship between client and therapist. That's why we're so committed to making sure you have an excellent match. Our matching process ensures you get the right therapist for your personality and problems.
Our online platform is safe and private. We use a secure and HIPAA-compliant platform designed specifically for therapy. And as a backup, we have a HIPAA-compliant Zoom account.
Through teletherapy sessions, you can talk about your feelings and challenges openly. We'll give you tools to cope with stress and anxiety, and you'll see the positive impact it has on your emotional well-being.
FAQs: Therapy For Lawyers
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Being a lawyer is a specific professional experience. There are often high stakes, weighty demands, and company culture that combine to form a perfect storm for mental health problems. While its true many therapists can help with common mental health problems, we’ve found that the culture of working in Law is nuanced. Clients appreciate not having to explain general aspects of their careers like the reality of billable hours, rigid company hierarchy, and general expectations of availability in the field. When your therapist already understands these things, you can get right into working on what’s important to you.
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Therapy can help lawyers decrease your stress and anxiety levels by identifying what is most taxing on you specifically. Every person is different in what causes them stress, so addressing it needs to be personalized. We can also help you identify where appropriate boundaries can be set that don’t jeopardize your job or promotion prospects. In fact, we think that setting good boundaries will make you more productive and enjoy your work more.
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Lawyers face higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and relationship problems than the general public. Therapy can help with all these problems.
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Partners, friends, and family members of lawyers get used to having plans canceled last minute due to work. It’s unfortunate, but we know it’s not always avoidable. Therapy can help you improve your communication and in turn decrease conflict. We can help you build strong relationships that don’t demand huge amounts of your precious time. By focusing on quality time over quantity time, and by communicating what’s on your mind and in your heart, you can feel closer, more connected, and more supported.
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Secondary or vicarious trauma is a professional hazard for many lawyers. Recent definitions of trauma and diagnostic criteria for PTSD are inclusive of those who hear firsthand accounts of trauma. Our trauma therapists can help lawyers process their trauma using EMDR so they can get back to work feeling strong and capable.
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As holistic therapists, we recommend a whole-person approach to healthy coping. Through movement, mindfulness, trauma processing, healthy intake, and engaging with supportive friends and hobbies, you can feel more balanced and like yourself. We can help you figure out how to communicate and balance things that matter to you for greater harmony.
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Yes! Plus, the convenience for busy lawyers can’t be beat. While teletherapy may have a different feel than in-person sessions at first, many lawyers establish a strong connection with their therapist quickly. The effectiveness of therapy depends on goodness of fit, the therapist's skill, and your willingness to engage.
How To Get Started With Therapy For Lawyers
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1. Consultation
We’ll talk for 15-20 minutes and get a sense of what's stressing you and how we can help.
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2. Match
If we can match you with one of our therapists, we’ll tell you about them and why we think they’re the best fit for you.
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3. First session
We can usually schedule a first session within a week. The first three sessions are a trial and there’s no pressure to continue.
Other Teletherapy Services in California and Florida
We believe in the power of personalized online therapy to nourish and empower lives. We cater to a diverse menu of mental health issues, ensuring that you receive the specialized care you deserve. Our California and Florida therapists are ready to address anxiety, trauma, LGBTQ matters, holistic therapy, couples' therapy, and even the developmental and social issues faced by teenagers. We serve all of Florida and California, with particular concentration in Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Rest assured, our team is all about promoting inclusivity, combating racism, embracing body positivity, and fostering a positive attitude towards sexuality. Your health and balance matter, and we're here to help you along your journey.