While we were tempted to go for the obvious this week, we in the PR/ER clinic prefer a more holistic approach to celebrity healing. Given the cold, hard fact that at least two careers are on the table and crashing at this point, Radar contacted Hollywood PR heavy-hitter Sue Patricola—who has represented the likes of Colin Farrell, Heath Ledger, and Joaquin Phoenix—for a little heart to heart. What she revealed is that this week isn't just about two starlets spiraling downward but rather the fragile state of celebutant wrangling as a whole. "These girls have good people around them," Patricola says, "But they need to learn the right moves to make now. It would be a mistake to go it alone—everyone needs a little help in times like these."

After the jump, Patricola, with her 37 years of experience in the business, lays out her five time-tested steps for saving the career of a young star in jeopardy at any time. With all due respect to any publicists (or stars acting as their own publicists) dealing with this week's struggles, we now step aside and let the good Dr. Patricola offer up a cure.

Crisis management, you're in the PR/ER!

Step One: Get Help, Really
Patricola: "The first thing to do in any situation like this is to ensure that the celebrity gets help—and I'm not talking about just checking into rehab. There's a lot of work for these kids to do, and 12-step programs require commitment, having a sponsor, and going to meetings. I can't put anyone in rehab, that's not my job. But I can't lie for them, either, and say they have the flu or that they are okay when they have a meltdown. I tell them to help themselves, which doesn't include checking out of a center and partying again right after."

Step Two: Stay Mum
"You have to keep celebrities in these cases out of the press. I can't stress that enough. I've had clients who were dating the wrong people and on the scene and my suggestion was always, 'Stay home and don't show up everywhere. It's hurting you.' How can we be expected to believe someone who is e-mailing out excuses or going on TV for the 44th time to say 'I'm really okay this time'? It's not a pissing contest, and you don't need to respond to everything. Take the time, let the smoke clear, and then reassess."

Step Three: Relinquish Your Independence
"A lot of celebrities that are young have had handlers for a long time, and there are issues of control at play here. There is a team of people that treat you like a piece of meat and a product. And if there are any underlying issues with your parents or your life, you are going to seize that control because you can, and act recklessly because you never could. It makes sense. So on a publicity level, I have to come from a place of experience that isn't controlling. A lot of my clients are a lot younger than I am, but they don't look at me as an older person. That's the key. You have to have chemistry with them so that they can relinquish control for once and accept some guidance."

Step Four: Reemerge the Right Way
"The only way to come back convincingly is to show contrition. You must show growth and honesty, and own up to it. Think about it, if you saw someone on TV that said, 'I hurt someone, I can't do this. I have problems, and I have to deal with them. Do I want to lose my career? Of course I don't, and I'll take what's coming to me because I did the wrong thing.' How refreshing would it be to hear that?"

Step Five: Give Something Back
"You need to put a face on your issues. Show people what you are adding to the world, besides always taking away. And I don't mean designing a clothing line. It's about becoming human, sharing your experiences, and trying to set an example. You just need to have something of substance to say. If one of these girls came out and said, 'I'm making wrong choices, but I'm taking it one day at a time, and I may fail again, and I hope someone will pick me up and help me until I get it right,' we might all learn and be the better for it."