World Mental Health Day and Release of Well-Being Course
World Mental Health Day is observed on Oct. 10 every year to raise awareness around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health.
This year’s theme is “Mental Health in Human Emergencies” and is focused on the urgent need to support the mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by crises. Supporting the mental well-being of individuals during crises saves lives and gives people the strength to cope and the space to heal, recover and rebuild, not only as individuals but as communities.
The Law Society’s new online Well-being in the Legal Profession course provides a starting point to learn about the current state of well-being in the legal profession and highlights some information, strategies and resources to help you consider how to best support your and potentially others’ well-being.
Read more to learn about how you can participate in World Mental Health Day and the supports available to the legal profession.
Participating in World Mental Health Day
Listed below are a few ways to take part in World Mental Health Day:
- On Thursday, Oct. 9, attend the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch virtual Mental Health Reimagined: Unlocking the Power of the Lawyer’s Subconscious Mind for Well-Being.
- Take steps to implement approaches and activities to support mental health in your workplace, such as those set out in the American Bar Association’s Well-Being Toolkit for Lawyers & Legal Employers and Canada Life’s Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.
- Contribute to creating a safe and supportive environment at your workplace that lets your colleagues know everyone needs help at some point in their life and career.
Available Well-Being Supports
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed or dealing with something that may be impacting your ability to capably perform your job, there are ongoing supports that can help lawyers deal with the challenges of law practice and life.
The Law Society of Alberta offers services to help lawyers who are feeling overwhelmed to resolve the issues they are facing in a supportive way:
- Practice Management consultations are available at no cost to help lawyers identify potential areas of risk before problems develop and client relations suffer.
- Our Trust Safety department is available to assist Responsible Lawyers and law firms with their trust accounting and safety questions and concerns.
- Our confidential Practice Advisor services and Equity Ombudsperson can help lawyers navigate ethical and practice matters, as well as harassment and discrimination concerns.
Professional counselling and peer support is available through the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist). All services are provided on a confidential basis and no disclosure of use of these services is made to the Law Society. For lawyers who need immediate crisis support, Assist offers 24/7 crisis counselling via telephone at 1.877.498.6998.
The toll-free Hope for Wellness Help Line, at 1.855.242.3310, is available 24/7 to all Indigenous people across Canada and the online chat link can be found on their website. The toll-free 24-hour National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is 1.866.925.4419 to receive immediate emotional assistance.