Therapy for Lawyers

Quiet pressure. Long hours. Very little room to come undone.

Your career demands a lot—professionally and personally.

Legal professionals work under conditions most people don’t see:

• Constant deadlines and high-stakes outcomes

• Adversarial environments that require composure under pressure

• Long hours, often at the expense of rest or relationships

• The mental load of managing clients, teams, or partners

• Decision-making in gray areas with real consequences

• Compounded stress from systems that aren’t always fair or clear

Outside the office, that pressure doesn’t always let up.

• Partners or spouses who want connection

• Kids who want presence

• Families who may not understand the demands

• A lack of time or energy for processing anything beyond the next obligation

Why Some Lawyers Turn to Therapy

Therapy can offer space that legal work rarely provides.

Not to fix you.
Not to analyze every feeling.
But to help you process what’s been building—mentally, emotionally, and physically—without judgment or overwhelm.

It’s often used to support:

• Burnout prevention and recovery

• Mental clarity and emotional regulation

• Stress processing without shutting down

• Boundaries between professional role and personal identity

• A clearer sense of direction when something internal starts shifting

No assumptions.

Just space to explore what you’re carrying—and whether it needs to keep being carried the same way.

Our Approach

• EMDR therapy to support nervous system reset and reduce stress overload

• Psychodynamic work to explore deeper patterns and pressures

• Respect for your intelligence, time, and privacy

• No therapy-speak. No emotional overexposure. Just clarity and pacing that fits your style

Details

• Private-pay only — no insurance

• $250 per session

• 30-minute video consultation available at no cost

• Virtual sessions available in NY, VA, DC, CO, NC, and WA

This isn’t about falling apart.

It’s about finally having space to pause, reflect, and move forward more freely.

Real Questions Lawyers Ask Before Starting Therapy (FAQs)

Why would a successful lawyer need therapy?

Because success and suffering aren’t mutually exclusive. Many lawyers build careers on control, composure, and pushing through—but over time, that can come at a cost: insomnia, detachment, low-grade dread, or chronic irritability. Sometimes, it’s not a crisis that brings someone in—it’s the subtle realization that winning cases hasn’t translated into feeling whole.

What if therapy just feels like someone telling me what to feel?

We get it. Some therapists miss the mark—especially with lawyers. They push too hard or oversimplify what’s actually a complex internal system of survival. A good therapist doesn’t lecture—they listen, challenge, and track what you're protecting. Our approach honors the parts of you that got you here… and helps the ones that are exhausted evolve.

I can’t turn my mind off. Is that something therapy can help with?

Yes—and not with gimmicks. We get curious about what’s underneath the mental churn: maybe work stress, but often deeper layers—grief, betrayal, unresolved family roles, unhealed relationships. Therapy helps you digest what’s fueling the restlessness so that rest becomes something you can access—genuinely and consistently.

Why does my job seem to affect my relationships?

High-pressure roles often flatten your emotional availability at home. But sometimes it’s not just the job—it’s that the job amplifies earlier patterns: mistrust, keeping score, staying guarded. And those patterns may have started long before you passed the bar. Therapy helps you see the origin stories and shift the ones that no longer serve you.

I’ve made it this far without talking to anyone. Why now?

That makes sense. Maybe silence was safer when you were younger. Maybe there wasn’t anyone who could handle what you had to say. That strategy helped you survive—and probably succeed. But if it’s starting to isolate you or keep things bottled up, therapy gives you a space to use your strengths in a deeper, more sustainable way.

I’m supposed to be fine. I look fine. Why do I feel like I’m falling apart?

You’re not alone. Many lawyers feel this way—and feel ashamed for feeling it. The pressure to perform isn’t just professional—it’s cultural, generational, familial. Therapy gives you space to drop the mask without dropping your edge. We help you separate the pressure from the pain, so you can make clear decisions instead of reactive ones.

Why do I feel like I’m avoiding something—like there’s a wall I can’t name?

That wall often protects something real: law school trauma, early family dynamics, betrayals, religious shame, even early exposure to porn. You’ve probably built a life on pushing through. But now? You’re ready to process—not just push. We help you approach the wall with respect and insight, not force. And you stay in control of the pace.

I don’t even know what’s wrong. I’m just tired, and it’s not going away.

That kind of fatigue is rarely just physical. Often it’s the weight of open tabs in your mental browser—things you’ve never had time or space to process. Past relationships, grief, failures, identity confusion, childhood wounds. We help you close those tabs. You get more presence, more empathy, more energy. You don’t lose your edge—you get sharper.

I understand first hand how difficult it can be to carry the weight of unresolved emotional pain. My diverse personal and professional experiences have given me a deep appreciation for how unique each individual’s journey is.

Whether it’s healing from childhood trauma, navigating relationship difficulties, or overcoming professional stress, I’m here to help you find the peace and fulfillment you deserve.

Zack Rothwell, PMHNP

Psychiatric Health Nurse Practitioner

Master of Science - UNC Chapel Hill

Accepting New Clients

What clients say:

“Zack was a patient and caring guide through a difficult time.

He provided a therapeutic relationship that offered a balance of support and challenge, helping me build a stronger foundation from which to live my life.

Through EMDR I was also able to travel to the root of many beliefs that were stifling my growth — making core changes to how I see myself and my world — opening up more love in all directions.

I’m grateful.”

-AB