The Attorney Wellness Program (AWP) – Fayette County Bar Association

TAKE CARE OF YOUR CLIENTS BY TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

The Attorney Wellness Program (AWP) was originally designed as a safe harbor for attorneys to address normal life difficulties in a confidential and professional environment.

WHY WAS THIS PROGRAM CREATED?

Being an attorney isn’t easy. Difficulties with the current legal and learning delivery systems, maintaining a healthy work/life/family balance, and dealing with the normal stresses of everyday life can take their toll.

We serve many times as counselors to our clients who turn to us for guidance. Who do we turn to when we need to talk through an issue or get some coaching for how to handle stress in our life? Too often the answer is “no one,” and that is regrettable because it is imperative that we be as healthy as possible in our role as advocates.

We deserve to function at our best in all areas of our life. By addressing areas of difficulty, we can decrease our stress levels and increase our levels of resilience.

Some examples of those difficulties include:

Family issues
Relationship Problems
Grief
Work-related difficulties
Alcohol/drug abuse
Depression & Anxiety
Difficulty managing stress
Mood swings
Suicidal thoughts

How AWP Works

We have contracted our program with The Woodland Group. The Woodland Group will provide counseling to active attorney members of the Fayette County Bar Association. Non-emergency sessions will be scheduled during regular business hours. Emergency sessions can be scheduled on a 24-hour, 7 days-a-week basis.

Seven licensed mental health professionals make up the Woodland Group and have been vetted by FCBA. Steven Smith, Ph.D. and Sandra Hough, Ph.D. are our program coordinators and will serve as points of contact to access AWP. The Woodland Group will maintain a confidential file for each attorney, but no insurance will be billed and FCBA will not be given any information about those who utilize the program. As such, this program is completely confidential which is crucial to its success. FCBA will pay The Woodland Group a monthly bill based on the number of sessions provided. The Woodland Group will verify FCBA membership from the directory on the FCBA webpage.

TO MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT:

1) Call the confidential hotline at 1-800-350-6438 and leave a message in either Dr. Smith’s or Dr. Hough’s voice mailbox.
2) They will call you back to schedule an appointment. It’s that simple!

AWP Benefits:

5 free sessions each calendar year
Complete confidentiality
Easy access
Convenient location (535 W. 2nd Street, Suite 207) 24/7 availability