Therapy for Lawyers
in Washington, DC
Does this sound familiar?
You feel burnt out from the long hours and high volume of work.
You experience frustration with clients and fellow lawyers.
You don’t like the work you do all day.
You struggle to have time for people and activities outside of work.
Experiencing an intense work schedule and workload can cause mental health challenges.
Highly ambitious and overachieving tendencies can have a negative impact on mental health. Depression, perfectionism, and substance use are common concerns among lawyers. The practice of law is demanding and it can be hard to find time for healthy habits. Lawyers experience unique stressors in the private or public sectors.
Private Sector Challenges
Lawyers working at large law firms often feel exhausted from demanding expectations and intense work hours. Junior Associates typically struggle with figuring out how to do new tasks, getting negative feedback, experiencing pressure to meet hours requirements, and paying off student loans quickly. Mid-Level Associates feel stress from wanting to show their value to partners by going beyond what they are asked, while at the same time being unsure how to take on more leadership. Senior Associates frequently experience stress from more complex cases, frustration with junior associates and partners, and expectations to work nights, weekends, and vacations. All of these stressors take a toll on mental health. It is difficult to set healthy boundaries at Big Law jobs.
Big Law
Staff Attorneys and Senior Counsel experience unique concerns from other lawyers. Working in-house can make it difficult to balance business needs with legal ethics. Navigating a company's internal dynamics can be challenging and confusing. Depending on the company size, opportunities for advancement can be limited, leading to a lack of clear career progression. While an in-house position may have been appealing at first, many lawyers are disillusioned with the job. All of these factors impact in-house lawyers’ emotions and satisfaction levels.
In-House
Public Sector Challenges
Public interest jobs at government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public interest law firms can leave employees feeling overworked and drained. These employment settings are more impacted by policy changes and political turnover. While many lawyers get into public interest intending to do good, they often experience disillusionment and disappointment with the sector. The high volume of work and low salary for education level can leave lawyers feeling upset that all the hard work they put in doesn’t feel like enough. Working with vulnerable populations can lead to compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. These negative experiences in public sector work consume lawyers’ mental resources and impact personal lives.
Therapy can help high functioning lawyers better manage their high-stress jobs and improve their overall wellbeing.
I’m a therapist who specializes in working with lawyers.
From my postdoctoral fellowship at Georgetown University, I developed a strong relationship with Georgetown Law Counseling and Psychiatric Service to provide law students with long-term therapy in private practice. As my private practice evolved, I continued helping law students as they transitioned to working as lawyers. From working with many attorneys, I understand their unique stressors and specific needs in therapy.
My Areas of Clinicial Expertise:
Anxiety
Burnout
Depression
Perfectionism
Relationship issues
Stress management
Work dissatisfaction
Work-life balance
Benefits of Therapy Tailored for Lawyers
Work-Life Balance
By setting and sticking to healthy boundaries, you can protect your wellbeing and prioritize other areas of your life.
Stress Management
With new strategies for managing stress effectively, your stress will have less of an impact on your life and overall wellbeing.
Frustration Tolerence
By learning how to tolerate frustration, you can experience an improved ability to navigate relationships and increased control in responding to situations.
Emotional Control
Therapy will improve your understanding of emotions and how to use them to your benefit. Emotions typically become less intense and are easier to manage.
Strengthened Relationships
With improved communication and enhanced conflict resolution skills, you can experience healthier and more satisfying relationships with your partner, family, and friends.
Increased Self-Awareness
Through therapy, you can gain a deeper understanding of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. With increased insight into patterns, you can make more fulfilling choices.
Therapy is a valuable resource that can help you lead a more fulfilling life.
You deserve to invest time and energy into yourself.
Emotional intelligence is the next skill to exceed in.