In today’s episode hosts Christine Bilbrey and Jamie Moore welcome Nicole Browning, of CuraLinc, to discuss the Florida Lawyers Helpline and the additional wellness benefits and resources available through the program.

The practice of law can be extremely stressful. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can affect an attorney’s ability to deliver the best service to their clients. Proactively taking care of mental health issues including stress, anxiety, and depression helps attorneys better serve their clients and can even reduce potential disciplinary actions caused by missed deadlines and unhappy clients. To assist members with these issues, The Florida Bar began offering a 24-hour Helpline and five free therapy sessions back in May of 2020. Florida lawyers, judges, and Florida Registered Paralegals can call 833-FL1-WELL or 833-351-9355 to access it.

Nicole Browning is the Director of Client Success at CuraLinc Healthcare and is a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 20 years of experience in behavioral health. She began her career providing direct clinical care to young adults and individuals navigating addiction and recovery, and she continues to hold her LPC today. Nicole now partners with organizations, including state bar associations, to deliver accessible, high-quality mental health programs, bringing together clinical insight and strategic leadership to help remove barriers to care, and support wellbeing.

This podcast has been approved by The Florida Bar Continuing Legal Education Department for 0.5 hour of General CLE credit including 0.5 hour of Mental Health and Wellness CLE credit. Course # 9719. 

REFERENCED RESOURCES: 

• Florida Bar Mental Health and Wellness Center
• Florida Lawyers Helpline 833-351-9355
• Online Helpline Web Portal
• Mindfulness and Secondary Trauma (Florida Bar News)
• Five Things Attorneys Should Know About Vicarious Trauma (American Bar Association)
• LegalFuel: The Florida Bar’s Practice Resource Center