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During a time when health and wellness have finally been taken off the legal profession’s backburner, many firms are trying to help lawyers come to grips with mental health. Lawyers are more likely to suffer from depression than any other profession, but they often suffer in silence for fear of alerting their colleagues about their mental health disabilities and being stigmatized for the rest of their careers. One firm is trying to put a stop to that.
In a partnership between its Wellness Works initiative and its Mental Health Task Force, Reed Smith recently launched the #stopthestigma campaign, with the goal of helping lawyers get the assistance that they need without fear of any career repercussions. The American Lawyer has the details:
Campaign events and activities include:
- An educational program Wednesday led by Mettie Spiess, a certified psychological health and safety adviser and founder of A World Without Suicide.
- A video series featuring lawyers and professional staff at the firm and mental health allies sharing their stories.
- A U.S.-wide mental health and safety leadership training session for firm managers.
- “Wear Green Day” on March 19 to raise awareness of the #stopthestigma campaign.
- An educational program March 26 led by Kelly Rentzel, general counsel for Texas Capital Bank, who will share her compelling story of living with bipolar disorder.
March is Mental Wellness Month, and it’s a perfect time to seek treatment if it’s something you’ve been avoiding doing. Stopping the stigma is an extremely worthy cause within the legal profession. Please take care of yourselves and you’ll find that not only is it possible to survive with a mental health setback, it’s possible to thrive.
Reed Smith Launches Mental Health ‘Stop the Stigma’ Campaign [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.