Why equity partners hide strain from the firm: the partnership math.
For an equity partner, visible strain can read as a risk to origination, billing and standing. Martha's review of 305 partners and senior counsel measures how often that leads to silence, and for how long.
Martha Fernandez, LCSWLead author. Licensed Clinical Social Worker, California license 127918
Clinical review of 305 equity partners and senior counsel who began care, January 2025 to August 2026
Strain gets priced in
Partner pay follows origination and billing, so a partner who looks less than fully capable can expect to be valued differently. The firm's own routes to help, its assistance program and its wellbeing committee, are run by the same institution the partner is hiding from. The paper's point is that partners are not confused about this; two in three knew what they were carrying and chose silence.
The wider profession shows the same pattern. In a study of 12,825 attorneys by Krill, Johnson and Albert (2016), 28 percent reported depression and 20.6 percent problematic drinking, and the two most common barriers to getting help were not wanting others to find out (50.6 percent) and concern about privacy (44.2 percent).
What the review found
- Hiding is common. Two in three partners in the review kept strain from colleagues or firm leadership.
- The reason is the partnership. 59 percent named their standing or origination credit as the main reason.
- It lasts. Half kept it hidden for more than six months, and the median gap from clear recognition to a first session was 19 months.
Care that sits entirely outside the firm: no benefits administrator, no internal referral, no insurance record.
Book your first sessionWhat removes the delay
The paper concludes that care has to sit entirely outside the firm: no benefits administrator, no internal referral, no insurance record. It works best with a clinician who understands partnership economics, at hours that fit a partner's calendar, and who treats the decision to stay quiet as part of the work rather than a failure.
For partners in Southern California, see therapy in Los Angeles or Orange County.
Frequently asked questions
Will my firm find out?
Not through Martha's practice. It is private pay, with no insurance claim and no reporting to an employer or firm.
Is 67% true of all partners?
No. It comes from partners who sought care, so it describes that group, not the profession as a whole.
Does it count only diagnosed conditions?
No. Many partners in the review had no diagnosis when they began hiding the strain.
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