April 30, 2024Back to Latest

May 6–12 is the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Mental Health Week (also known as Well-Being Week in Law in the United States). Mental Health Week is a social change campaign to educate the public and shift beliefs and perceptions about mental health.

This year’s theme is “A Call to be Kind” and is centred on the healing power of compassion. Compassion is the practice of meeting suffering, whether our own or the suffering of others, with kindness. In a world plagued by distress and suffering, the CMHA emphasizes that kindness is intrinsic to our humanity and that being compassionate can connect us and make an enormous difference for our mental health.

Below are a few events, resources and ways to participate during Mental Health Week.

Events

Monday, May 6

• Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist) Red Mug Coffee Circle (noon – 1 p.m.)
  Meet with a supportive community of lawyers who discuss issues and assist students and lawyers who are seeking their way, or to make changes, in our profession. RSVP for all Assist events by email.
• University of Calgary Let’s Talk About Opioids: Myths, Facts and Everything in Between (7 p.m.)
  Stephanie Borgland and Dr. Monty Ghosh will discuss the myths and facts about opioids and mental health.

Tuesday, May 7

• Assist 15 Minute Mindfulness Session (noon – 12:15 p.m.)
  A lawyer yogi will lead guided breathing, relaxation and mindfulness exercises. RSVP for all Assist events by email.
• CBA Alberta Lawyering Well: How to Survive and Thrive in Law by Working Smarter Not Harder (noon to 1 p.m.)
  Amy Binder will present how you can have both a successful career and good well-being by making a few small changes to the way you work.
• Law Society of Ontario Mental Health Summit for Legal Professionals 2024 (7 – 11 a.m.)
  This year’s summit continues to share the lived experiences of legal practitioners while providing practical strategies to support our own and our communities’ well-being.

Wednesday, May 8

• Assist Hybrid Yoga Class, In-Person at Knox United Church in Calgary, or online (noon – 1 p.m.)
  A lawyer or judge yogi will lead an all-levels yoga class. RSVP for all Assist events by email.
• CBA British Columbia Lawyer Well-Being: Concrete Strategies for Positive Change (1:30 – 2:45 p.m.)
  Bena Stock will present how you can respond to the challenges of legal practice and build a flourishing career by learning appropriate strategies to manage stress and anxiety.

Thursday, May 9

• Assist Finding Your Path in Law (noon – 1 p.m.)
  This moderated panel discussion includes three Alberta lawyers with different roles, sole practitioner, inhouse counsel and policy advisor. Sanjiv Parmar, Gillian Scarlett and Meredith Robertson will share their journeys to finding a role that works for them, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Loraine Champion which will include a confidential question and answer session. RSVP for all Assist events by email.

Friday, May 10

• Assist Dare to Dream (noon – 1 p.m.)
  Lawyers have bucket lists and dreams, just like everyone else, but we often conclude that we just can’t get away to make our dreams into reality. Tiro Clarke, KC, will share his six-month odyssey sailing the South Pacific seas to Australia and how he managed his practice to allow this dream to happen. RSVP for all Assist events by email.

Resources and Other Ways to Participate

Receive professional counselling or peer support through Assist. All services are provided on a confidential basis and no disclosure of use of these services is made to the Law Society. You can also check out the many resources on Assist’s website.

Access the following on-demand activities:

• CBA’s Wellness Resources, including The Every Lawyer Podcast, The Well-Being Hour webinars and the Dear Advy advice column.
• CBA Alberta webinar Suicide Awareness, with Centre for Suicide Prevention.
• The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia webinar AD(H)D & Lawyers: Impacts on Wellbeing, with Erin Peters.
• Check out the resource package from the Well-being in Practice summit the Law Society co-hosted in 2022.
• Our Reflective Practice course helps to build self-awareness, to more easily adapt and apply new information and to think about mistakes and misses as opportunities to learn.
• 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.