Certification Training Program
Developed and taught by Mike Lubofsky, JD, MA, LMFT,
Founder, LawyerTherapists.com & AttorneyTherapists.com
Welcome to the Program
You have chosen to develop expertise in one of the most underserved and professionally rewarding niches in clinical practice — working with attorneys. This training will give you a deep, nuanced understanding of who lawyers are, how they think, what brings them to therapy, and what it takes to build a genuinely effective therapeutic relationship with them.
By completing this program, you will earn the Certified Lawyer Therapist™ designation — a credential that signals to attorneys, law firms, and referral sources that you possess specialized clinical expertise and cultural competence that most therapists simply do not have.
Whether you are new to working with legal professionals or have already begun building a niche practice serving lawyers, this training will deepen your skills, strengthen your confidence, and distinguish you in the marketplace.
What You Will Learn
This course is organized into eight focused training modules, each addressing a distinct dimension of the clinical and professional experience of working with attorney clients:
- Module 1 – — Understanding the Legal Mind
Explore the cognitive patterns, personality traits, and professional socialization that define how attorneys think and process emotional experience. Learn why legal training shapes the mind in ways that create both brilliant professional capabilities and significant psychological vulnerabilities. - Module 2 — Perfectionism, Burnout and Workaholism
Examine the relentless performance pressures that drive perfectionism and workaholism in legal culture, and develop clinical strategies for working with these presentations without inadvertently reinforcing them. - Module 3 — Common Presenting Issues
Survey the mental health challenges attorneys disproportionately face — including depression, anxiety, substance use, relational stress, and occupational disillusionment — and develop a strong clinical framework for assessment and treatment in this population. - Module 4 — Therapeutic Alliance with Attorneys
Learn how to build genuine trust and rapport with a client population that is often skeptical of vulnerability, highly intellectualized in their defenses, and accustomed to being the most capable person in any room. - Module 5 — Working with Lawyers in Crisis
Develop the clinical skills to assess and intervene when attorney clients are in acute distress — including professional crises, bar disciplinary proceedings, sudden career disruption, and ethical violations with serious consequences. - Module 6 — Identity, Meaning and the Practice of Law
Address the deeper existential dimensions of legal practice — identity fusion with professional role, loss of meaning over time, questions of vocation and legacy, and the psychological toll of sustained exposure to adversarial systems. - Module 7 — Countertransference and Therapist Challenges
Identify and work through the unique countertransference reactions that working with lawyer clients can evoke — including feelings of intimidation, over-identification, frustration with intellectualization, and boundary challenges specific to this population. - Module 8 — Building a Niche Practice Serving Attorneys
Translate your clinical expertise into a thriving professional practice. Learn how to market effectively to attorneys and law firms, develop referral relationships, position your credentials, and build a sustainable caseload in this valuable niche.
Your Path to Certification
- Step 1 — Complete the Training. Complete all eight training modules.
Work through each module at your own pace, engaging with the course content, readings, and reflection exercises provided within the program. - Step 2 — Pass the Examination. Pass the competency examination.
Upon completing the eight modules, you will take a comprehensive open-book examination designed to assess your understanding and clinical readiness. The exam is designed to be thoughtful rather than punitive — its purpose is to consolidate your learning and confirm your competence.
Upon successfully completing the training and passing the certification exam, you will be awarded the Certified Lawyer Therapist™ credential and added as a Featured Therapist on AttorneyTherapists.com — the only directory of therapists specifically trained and credentialed to work with attorneys.
Annual Renewal
Certification is renewed annually by passing an annual competency exam and maintaining a listing at AttorneyTherapists.com. This ongoing requirement is intentional — it keeps your clinical skills sharp, maintains accountability to the credential, and connects you with a community of like-minded clinicians doing meaningful work in this specialized field.
About Your Instructor
Mike Lubofsky, JD, MA, LMFT
Mike Lubofsky is a licensed psychotherapist and attorney who has spent his career at the intersection of law and mental health. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Master’s degree in clinical psychology, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California.
Mike is the founder of both LawyerTherapists.com and AttorneyTherapists.com — the leading online resources for therapists who work with attorneys and for attorneys seeking mental health support. He developed the Certified Lawyer Therapist™ program from the ground up, drawing on his own experience practicing law, his extensive clinical work with attorney clients, and his deep understanding of legal culture and its psychological demands.
All eight training modules were developed and are personally taught by Mike. He leads all case consultation sessions and is actively involved in every aspect of the certification program. When you train through LawyerTherapists.com, you receive direct access to a practitioner who has lived both worlds — and who has built a career helping lawyers find their way through some of their most difficult moments.