TLAP provides, above all else, a totally safe haven within which to reach out for immediate help and stabilization while exploring reliable options for mental health help . . . all without initially creating any medical records and without anyone else ever knowing.

It’s free, it’s safe, it’s totally confidential, and there are no barriers whatsoever to simply picking up the phone and calling TLAP or emailing TLAP to access TLAP’s free and confidential advice and support.

In many cases, a person who is suffering has become isolated and withdrawn. Fear and frustration run high. A sense of shame and guilt often sets in, especially for smart and accomplished professionals, because they feel as if they should have been able to think their way out of the problem or otherwise use willpower to get back on solid mental health ground.

It can also feel as if there is simply nowhere to turn for answers and help. Every avenue can seem too burdensome and onerous. A feeling of being trapped in an unhappy and miserably painful existence is a true indicator that the person needs immediate help.

But, for many people, striking out on their own to seek help from a psychiatrist or psychologist is very daunting. There is a fear of turning control of a frightening mental health concern over to a doctor. And then there is the very real fear of being diagnosed with a mental health issue. Stigma and fear run high.

In alcoholism and addiction cases, the person’s addiction does not want help . . . ever . . . even when the person is fed up with the cycle of unhealthy alcohol or drug use. Denial and a lack of insight are very difficult barriers to tackle in these cases.

Alcoholics and addicts suffer in that the rational person wants to stop suffering from the repeated consequences of substance abuse, but their addicted brains mandate that they must concurrently find a successful way to continue to use alcohol or drugs.

This often results in repeated, failed, internal mediations within the mind of the person who wants to stop substance abuse and the addicted brain that demands to keep using substances. Halfway measures and easier and softer ways are generally not successful.

Even when reaching out for help to TLAP, people with substance abuse are often very angry in addition and very fearful of taking real action and being accurately diagnosed. Often described as akin to a situation wherein “a bird dog is caught in a fence” the person is in real trouble and needs help but will bite its rescuers and resist help while being untangled.

Even if a person has surrendered and is ready to reach out and seek help on their own, it is sometimes difficult to know how to go about selecting a mental healthcare professional. How does one get a referral to a dependable provider? Mental health issues are often uncomfortable to discuss and many people don’t feel that it is appropriate to ask friends and colleagues for references to good mental healthcare providers in the same way they might ask for ideas on selecting a good surgeon for a physiological medical issue.

In that vein, TLAP is a safe and compassionate place to discretely discuss whatever mental health issue is troubling you or a loved one and obtain specific feedback on various ways to address the issues presented, including referrals to top-notch mental health professionals who currently deliver services that meet the needs of licensed professionals.

Treatment at any given facility is only as good as it was last week and TLAP keeps abreast of recent developments so as to ensure its advice is as timely as possible. Also, TLAP only recommends providers and facilities that it has inspected personally to verify the quality of the services rendered.

To the person calling TLAP for help, know this: although you may feel isolated, you are not alone!

TLAP receives hundreds of calls each year regarding issues with depression, anxiety, compassion fatigue and burnout, alcohol and drug abuse, gambling issues, and other issues all of which occur at high rates in the stressful legal profession. Practicing law is not getting easier and no lawyer or judge is immune to developing mental health issues over time.

From the first conversation with TLAP, the person no longer has to go it alone. TLAP provides ongoing support to the person through all phases of addressing the issue(s) and into long-term recovery. In many cases, persons who have successfully addressed their mental health issues through TLAP become volunteers for TLAP and stand ready to help the next generation needing assistance.

Conversely, it is also important to know that the person calling TLAP is always free to decline further assistance from TLAP and to confidentially go their own way. If in the future the person decides to resume a relationship with TLAP, they are always welcome. One can never do anything to get on TLAP’s “bad side” and TLAP is always welcoming to the person no matter what has transpired in the past. In such cases, TLAP stands ready to provide its advice and assistance anew and meet the person where they are in the process of addressing their mental health issues.