New Program Offers Tailored Treatment for a Profession Afflicted by Twice the Addiction Rate as the General Population

CENTER CITY, Minn., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hazelden, one of the world's largest and most respected alcohol and drug addiction nonprofit treatment centers, announced today the launch of its new Legal Professionals Program. This program, led by three attorney/clinicians, is specifically dedicated to helping legal professionals - lawyers, judges, legal assistants and others – overcome addiction.

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An estimated one in five legal professionals has an active addiction or substance abuse problem, which is nearly twice the rate of the general population, as well as that of physicians, pilots, or other licensed professionals. Legal professionals also suffer from depression at nearly three times the rate of other professionals. As mental health disorders commonly go hand-in-hand with addiction, these staggering statistics highlight the need for tailored treatment for legal professionals.

Director of the Legal Professionals Program, Link Christin, M.A., J.D., L.A.D.C., a 30-year veteran litigation attorney states, "For legal professionals, treatment can be especially complex because the very strengths prized in lawyers, like problem solving and persuasiveness, can be stumbling blocks to addiction recovery."

With the right care and support, addiction can be treated and managed for life. Built on Hazelden's clinically integrated, individualized treatment model, the new Legal Professionals Program also involves:

• Intensive group therapy
• Psychoeducational services
• Presentations by Hazelden clinicians and outside experts
• Individual counseling
• Weekly meetings among other legal professionals, facilitated by an attorney/clinician, which will provide patients with powerful insight from peers facing similar challenges and situations
• Ongoing one-on-one sessions with an attorney/clinician, where participants will have the opportunity to address issues related to career restoration, professional practice, reputation, licensing or disciplinary matters and continuing care
• Optional attendance at a weekly attorneys-only Twelve Step meeting off-campus

At Hazelden's Center City, Minnesota location, Christin works alongside two dedicated attorney clinicians in counseling legal professionals in treatment: Emil Jalonen, M.A., J.D., L.A.D.C., and Chuck Rice, M.A., J.D., L.A.D.C. "Lawyers are accustomed to solving other people's problems. Being the one asking for help is unfamiliar territory, but it's the first step we all take in getting our life back from addiction," says Rice. "We help patients see this reality in their own lives, and overcome these challenges during treatment."

For more information about this new program, please visit www.hazelden.org/legalprofessionals

About Hazelden

Hazelden, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1949, helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. Built on decades of knowledge and experience, Hazelden offers a comprehensive approach to addiction that addresses the full range of patient, family, and professional needs, including treatment and continuing care for youth and adults, research, higher education, public education and advocacy, and publishing. It has facilities in Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, and Florida. Learn more at www.hazelden.org

SOURCE Hazelden Foundation

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