BarCARES = Wellness for NC Lawyers

We all understand the importance of wellness, but we sometimes have trouble maintaining it.

BarCARES can help.

BarCARES is a confidential, short-term wellness intervention program available to members of participating North Carolina judicial district bars, voluntary bar associations and law schools. It offers eligible attorneys and their family members three free counseling sessions with a medical/wellness provider.

Among the issues covered by BarCARES (from the BarCARES website):

Stress Management. Each person has coping skills or ways of living with stress that are acquired over the years.

Anxiety Disorders. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It can make it easier to deal with a tense situation, study harder, or keep focused. But when anxiety becomes excessive it can become disabling.

Eating Disorders. Eating disorders are real, treatable medical illnesses. They are not due to bad behavior or lack of willpower. They involve serious disturbances in eating behavior.

Parenting. Many of us are minimally prepared for the enormity of the task of raising young ones from infancy to adulthood.

Domestic Violence. Domestic violence occurs in a relationship when one partner keeps a position of power and control over the other by the use of fear, intimidation and control.

Substance Abuse. The use and misuse of alcohol and other drugs is the single biggest health problem in the country today.

Click here to learn more about BarCARES and its availability in your area. 

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FAQs About BarCARES

The following is from the BarCARES website:

• How to access BarCARES? “Urgent calls will be received by a BarCARES service representative at HRC Behavioral Health & Psychiatry, PA 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 800-640-0735. You can call with questions about BarCARES or access your three free annual BarCARES counseling sessions by calling the confidential BarCARES assistance line (800-640-0735) during business hours to speak to the BarCARES Program Coordinator or leave a confidential voice mail.”
• What happens after I call? “The BarCARES Program Coordinator will work to arrange an initial session between you and a BarCARES provider who may best assist you to resolve a problem or determine how to access other sources of help.”
• Who pays for this? “Three annual BarCARES counseling sessions are provided at no cost to you by funding provided by your bar group membership or law school. The NC Bar Association and the Lawyers Insurance Agency fund administrative fees for the program. None of these groups have access to names or other identifying information of any program user.”
• Are family members eligible for services? “Some bar groups have chosen a plan that allows immediate family members to use one or all of their three cost-free annual BarCARES counseling sessions. The BarCARES Program Coordinator will let you know if your specific bar group allows family members to participate.”

Call 919.929.1227 or 1.800.640.0735 or visit www.barcares.org.

SOURCE: BarCARES - North Carolina Bar Association (ncbar.org)

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