At their most basic level, interventions are about re-establishing the connections between the attorney who is suffering from untreated addiction or mental/emotional disturbance and those who care about them. The Staff and Volunteers of the Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program have assisted many employers, families, courts and concerned friends undertake this often difficult process. The staff and volunteers strive to facilitate this "caring confrontation" in such a way that healing for everyone involved can begin as quickly as possible, and that the foundation for success is established.
In some cases, people who need help are unable or unwilling to recognize the need. In such cases, LJA Program staff and volunteers are available to assist in planning and facilitating interventions. The LJA Program has been handling interventions for more than a decade, and has the resources and experience to guide families, friends, colleagues, and others through this process. We view this process as creating "Rock Bottom" as opposed to a continuing downward spiral.
An LJA Program facilitated intervention may best be described as a "caring confrontation". Though it may seem a frightening undertaking, our collective experience is that generally interventions are successful. Even when help is initially refused, the intervention process challenges the status quo of the person's disordered behaviors. The immediate primary goal of the intervention is to get the person into treatment, but whatever the "outcome", the entire process is about the "confrontation". The process is not about being "confrontational", in the customary sense of the word. It is about speaking the truth in love and concern.
More often, the offer of help is accepted. The LJA Program's practice is to enter the actual intervention with one or more treatment options. Generally LJA Program staff and volunteers, along with the other persons involved in the intervention have communicated with treatment centers, and have paved the way for possible admission. Often we are able to proceed from the actual intervention directly into the admissions process.
LJA Program interventions are most often associated with attorneys suffering in active addictive disease. It is important to note, however, that LJA Program can assist concerned family members, colleagues, and others in planning and facilitating interventions in other scenarios. The process has been used to confront issues associated with unmanaged mental illness and aging or other cognitive challenges.
If you'd like to confidentially discuss the possibility of an intervention for someone you know, please contact the LJA Program.
Remember:
LJA Program Services Are:
Confidential
Voluntary
Available at NO Charge
Please contact our office or an LJA Program volunteer in your area. Here is a list of LJA Program volunteers across the state.
Dr. Jessica Cole, LPC-S, NCC
Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program Director
Office: 601-948-0989
Director's Direct Line: 601-948-4475
Email: [email protected]
Carolyn Barrett, Office Administrator & Monitoring Coordinator
Lawyers and Judges Assistance Program
Telephone: 601-948-0989
Email: [email protected]