 | waterloo region law association |
Improving Mental Health for Lawyers & Paralegals in Waterloo Region
| The Waterloo Region Law Association makes addressing mental health, mental wellness and substance use issues a priority. The Waterloo Region Law Association established the Mental Health Committee at the May 12, 2020 Board of Trustees Meeting. The mandate of the Mental Health Committee is to:
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A 2016 study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine of nearly 13,000 American lawyers found that:
- over 36 per cent showed signs of possible alcohol dependence,
- more than 45 per cent of responding lawyers described experiencing depression,
- 11.5 per cent reported having had suicidal thoughts at some point in their careers, and
- the primary barrier to lawyers seeking treatment or assistance is stigma and the fear of others finding out that they need help
The Member Assistance Program (MAP) provides confidential services and support to lawyers, paralegals, law students or paralegal students who are facing mental health or substance use issues. To find the out more information on MAP, please click here.
Local Lawyer and WRLA Member, John Webster, Launches Podcast on Wellness
Local lawyer John Webster has been on a wellness journey since 2014, when he finally turned his physical fitness around through a slow and steady approach to healthy eating and exercise. Years later it sparked a personal epiphany about wellness in different areas of his life.
John has put together a podcast team. They launched the Let’s Be Well Together Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022 with new episodes weekly on Tuesdays. They call themselves your wellness check-in team, whose goal is to remind listeners to think about wellness and make it a priority in their lives. They explore wellness and intertwined categories, such as: Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Economic, Environmental, Artistic, Intellectual and Social. If we’re thriving in some facets but ignoring others, it affects our overall well-being. The hosts discuss wellness issues and interview guests about their experiences in the eight areas of wellness. Some guests explain concepts connected to a facet of wellness. Others are from organizations that foster wellness. The podcast will be available on the “Episodes” page of www.letsbewelltogether.com, and also on podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.