Below is a list of resources for health and wellness.
Coping with Vicarious Trauma and Burnout
Coping with Vicarious Trauma and Burnout by Dawn Behrend, Instruction & Outreach Librarian, Lenoir-Rhyne University, North Carolina
EFAP Program
Please note that the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) has programming you may be interested in. You can find it online here (use LiRN Inc. as the group name).
Support the Supporter
Library staff, with their familiar and friendly faces, are often the ones lawyers turn to when in the throes of a mental health and/or addiction crises. The library is where they go when they are stumped with a question or confused as to where to start. It’s a judgement-free, safe space.
Being the one to provide support and act as a sounding board can take a lot out of you. If you find yourself in need of support after acting as a supporter to someone else, these resources may help.
From our benefits Provider:
- Employee Assistance Program
- When Someone Close to You Dies by Suicide
- Taking Care of Yourself After a Traumatic Event
- What to Do With Intense Emotions
Importance of Mental Health with Beth Beattie, author of The Right Not to Remain Silent
Our Learn with LiRN 2025 conference featured a mental health panel of lawyers who shared their mental health journeys with attendees. The panel featured Beth Beattie who is a senior counsel at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney where she have a broad-based health law litigation practice. Beth has an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School in Alternative Dispute Resolution. Beth was joined by Michael Ferguson with Norman Pickell, Lawyers in Goderich, Ontario and Courtney Wilson with Rachlin & Wolfson LLP in Toronto. Beth is a mental health advocate and collaborator. and recently co-edited a book, “The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession”. Published by LexisNexis in 2024, it is a collection of personal memoirs of judges and lawyers aimed at ending stigma and isolation in the legal community and beyond. The authors offer practical solutions to change the culture of legal practice. Courthouse libraries were given a copy of this book for your collection at LwL 2024.
Since 2021, Beth has co-chaired the Law Society of Ontario’s annual Mental Health Summits for Legal Professionals. Each year there are over 6,000 registrants (live and on-demand), the most popular CPD program in the history of the LSO.
Summary of Learn with LiRN 2025 presentation Please reference the book (a copy is available at each courthouse library)
Presentation: None
Recording Link: Not recorded
Slow Zones
Jo-Ann McQuillan, of the Peel Law Association spoke about their recently created a Slow Zone which is a quiet, contemplative space for those who are stressed, overstimulated or fatigued. Jo-Ann created an excellent slide-show outlining the considerations, research and steps that were taken to create this Zone at the PLA.
Other libraries have followed this initiative including Dufferin.
Mental Health Resources
from the group discussion during the LwL Innovation session on March 19, 2024:
Jennie Clarke from Durham Region Law Association suggested these resources on mental health:
Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World
The magazine is Real Simple and topic changes monthly.
Emily Maloney from Leeds & Grenville:
https://sja.ca/en/first-aid-training/mental-health-first-aid-basic-virtual
Pia Williams from Waterloo Region Law Association:
New book from Lexis: The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession. Provided to courthouse libraries as part of LFO grant in Nov. 2024.
Pennies in the Cup suggested by Ryan Schroeder, Huron Law Association
Here’s a link to that ‘pennies in the cup’ poster. You’ll notice on the top banner you can redirect yourself to the training portion of the site. Homelessness training obviously isn’t exactly a pressing concern for us, but as I’ve said, I think some of the principles work quite well across the board when dealing with difficult patrons. Now, the penny and cup metaphor arises in relation to homelessness, but I could see this being reimagined for lawyers – maybe something to do with the scales of justice symbol, such as adding counters to the scales of fair treatment.
Link: https://www.homelesstraining.com/download/pennies-in-the-cup-poster/
MAP resources from the LSO
Additional resources:
- The Canadian Mental Health Association has a number of free resources available
- The Canada Suicide Prevention Service (Suicide prevention and support)
- Crisis support hotline 1-833-456-4566
- Text “Start” to 45645
- The Resources Tab is particularly helpful, with lots of great FAQs and stories of hope
- Workplace Strategies for Mental Health
- “Employee Resources” includes many resources, including this pamphlet on Helping Troubled Co-Workers.
- Mood Disorders Association of Canada has resources on suicide, including risk factors and triggers.
- Member Assistance Program – Lawyer | Law Society of Ontario (lso.ca)
Have any Health & Wellness tips?