Private · Confidential · For Attorneys

Where Do You Turn for Help When You're the Help Everyone Else Turns To?

A private practice, built for lawyers.

As an attorney, you thrive on being the person others turn to when the stakes are high. But succeeding under pressure can come with costs that aren't always easy to see. We're here to help.

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You May Recognize This

The more success does for you,
the more it may be doing to you.

Maybe work follows you home. You're exhausted, burned out, or increasingly disconnected from the people you care about. Maybe alcohol or other substances have become a way to take the edge off, manage the pressure, or simply keep going. Nothing may have fallen apart. But something isn't working the way it used to — and you know a change may be necessary.

Counsel in Confidence was built for exactly this moment — a private, professional space where attorneys can address what's really going on, without risk to their reputation, their license, or their career.

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You're Not Alone

The ABA's 2026 national study found:

47.4%
High burnout
41.8%
Risky alcohol use
41.1%
Report the legal profession has harmed their mental health
35.9%
High/very high work-family conflict
27.0%
Considered leaving law due to mental health, burnout, or stress
20.5%
Increased alcohol/drug use attributable to legal-profession stress
21.7%
Moderate-to-extremely-severe depression
20.4%
Moderate-to-extremely-severe anxiety

The full study is published open access in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Access the study here.

Counsel in Confidence offers a private place to understand what's happening, address what's no longer working, and find a healthier way forward.

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The Questions Attorneys Ask

Getting help comes with
added concerns for attorneys.

"Will they understand the particular pressures of legal practice?"
"Can I talk candidly without worrying about who else might find out?"
"Could asking for help affect my reputation, my career, or the things I've worked so hard to build?"
"What if getting better means giving up the very things that seem to be keeping everything together?"

And perhaps the hardest question:

"What if getting better means giving up the very things that seem to be keeping everything together?"

The question isn't just whether to get help. It's knowing where to turn for the right help.

Counsel in Confidence is a private, independent practice where attorneys can address concerns they may not feel comfortable bringing anywhere else. No large treatment team. No affiliation with employers, bar associations, or other professional institutions. You work directly with the person you've entrusted with your confidence.

Benjamin Thompson, PhD
A Place to Be Heard. A Partner in Moving Forward.

I built Counsel in Confidence
for attorneys like you.

You Don't Have to Keep Your Own Counsel.

I'm Ben Thompson, PhD, founder of Counsel in Confidence. For nearly 20 years, my clinical and scientific work has focused on understanding addiction and the process of recovery.

As a clinician, I've worked extensively with individuals navigating the unique pressures and challenges of the legal profession. As a researcher at Yale and Harvard, I've studied addiction and recovery from multiple perspectives — psychological, behavioral, emotional, and neurobiological.

And as someone who has been there myself, I bring something that professional training and research alone cannot provide: firsthand understanding of what it takes to make meaningful, lasting change — and what tends to stand in the way.

Whether you're struggling with stress, anxiety, substance use, relationships, or simply feeling that something in your life needs to change, we'll work together to understand what's happening and identify a path forward.

You spend your career helping others navigate difficult circumstances. You deserve somewhere to turn when the difficult circumstances are your own.

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A Simple Path to Powerful Results

Whether you're ready to make a change
or simply beginning to consider it.

1

Let's Talk

We begin with a free 30-minute consultation to discuss what's happening, what concerns you, and what you hope to change.

2

Get Your Personalized Plan

We'll develop a personalized 12-week plan built around your concerns, goals, circumstances, and what meaningful change would look like in your life.

3

Put Your Plan Into Action

Discreet, one-on-one guidance, practical strategies, and support tailored to your progress and professional commitments.

4

Build on Your Progress

At the end of 12 weeks, we'll assess what's changed, identify what comes next, and develop a path toward lasting progress.

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You Don't Have to Lose Everything
to Do Something

Your career. Your reputation. Your relationships. The life you've worked so hard to build.

You have a great deal to lose. For many attorneys, that's precisely what makes asking for help so difficult. When the consequences of acknowledging a problem seem uncertain, continuing to manage things on your own can feel like the safer choice.

And sometimes it works — for a while.

But what begins as a way of coping can eventually become the very thing that threatens everything you've worked so hard to protect. Over time, problems left unaddressed can begin to affect your judgment, your relationships, your reputation, and ultimately, your career.

Yet recognizing that something needs to change doesn't mean everything has to change at once. You don't have to wait until everything is on the line to do something about it.

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Specialized help. Discreetly delivered.

Protect the Life You've Worked
So Hard to Build

You've worked hard to build your career, your reputation, and a life that matters to you. Getting help shouldn't mean having to set those things aside.

At Counsel in Confidence, we'll work to understand not only what's happening, but what's at stake for you. Together, we'll identify changes that support your well-being while respecting the responsibilities, relationships, and ambitions that give your life meaning.

So you can address what's holding you back without losing sight of everything you're working to protect.

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What Counsel in Confidence Offers

Clarity, Confidence, and a Way Forward.

The goal isn't simply to talk about the problem. It's to help you understand what's happening, know what to do about it, and develop the confidence and skills to make meaningful, lasting changes.

A Clear Path Forward

A personalized plan built around your concerns, goals, and circumstances.

Specialized Expertise

Experienced guidance grounded in addiction science, clinical practice, and recovery.

Individualized Attention

Direct, one-on-one support tailored to your needs, progress, and professional responsibilities.

Practical Tools for Lasting Change

Strategies to help you regain control, navigate challenges, and sustain meaningful progress.

A Place to Speak Freely

A private, trusted setting to discuss concerns you may not feel comfortable sharing anywhere else.

Protection for What Matters

Help that respects the career, reputation, and relationships you've worked so hard to build.

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Recover Your Confidence —
in Confidence.

You spend your professional life helping others through difficult situations. When the difficult situation is your own, you deserve somewhere to turn. You don't have to have everything figured out. You just have to be ready to talk about what comes next.

Schedule Your Free Consultation →

Free 30-minute consultation · Private & confidential · No institutional affiliations