As a former lawyer who is now a psychotherapist specializing in working with lawyers, I get this question a lot. Not only from clients, but from friends who are still practicing law, whether they’re at private firms, in the public sector, or anything in between. The short answer here is: yes. Therapy can absolutely help strengthen your skills and shore up your confidence as a lawyer.

Before I get to the how and why, however, I want to state up front that becoming a better lawyer is certainly not the only reason to go to therapy, and it’s hardly the best reason. But it is a reason, one with its own merit that deserves more conversation. And the benefits of therapy that I’ll outline below are complementary to—rather than in competition with—the more talked-about reasons many lawyers today are seeking support for coping with work-related stress.