Sydney Waring, Aleece Katan, Tyler Eschenwecker and Jasmine Zhang presented an excellent and engaging workshop on Mental Health 101 to individuals working in the legal profession including lawyers, paralegals, law clerks and assistants. The event was hosted by the Waterloo Region Law Society. 47 participants were in attendance for the talk, held over Zoom.
Workshop Summary
Legal professionals often deal with challenges that can cause feelings of being overwhelmed, overworked or stressed, and they can experience significant mental health issues. In this workshop the University of Waterloo's Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment will focus specifically on teaching wellness principles that will promote work/life balance for lawyers and paralegals. Principles will incorporate psychoeducation about mental health and will include ways to identify signs and symptoms mental health concerns in oneself and others, and evidence-based strategies for coping and to promote positive mental health. Local mental health resources will also be provided.
To aide in developing and tailoring the workshop, a pre-workshop survey was sent to participants and the results were integrated into the presentation. The workshop was also accredited by the Law Society of Ontario for continuing professional development credit. Following the workshop, the students received highly positive feedback from the group, who found the talk to be both informative and practical.