CBA Record July-August 2023

cises, and other forms of guided mindful ness meditations. Many of these are under 10 minutes while sitting at your desk. The Legal Burnout Solution The Legal Burnout Solution is a valuable online resource for lawyers to connect with other lawyers who feel burdened by work-related stress. They offer a mind fulness meditation community with live guided meditations taking place online the first Wednesday of the month at 11 am CT. Meditations range from body scans to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduc tion techniques. They also offer resources for lawyers feeling the weight of burnout. In addition to taking care of them selves, firm decision-makers also need to consider how they can create a work environment that is healthier for every one involved. Anne Brafford, in partner ship with the American Bar Association, published the Well-Being Toolkit for Law yers and Legal Employers , an invaluable resource for firm leadership. It includes self- and employee-assessment tools to determine how you or your employees are faring in terms of mental health, as well as recommendations for how to improve your organization’s efforts to address the wellbeing of your employees. None of these tools alone are going to solve all your problems or eradicate the impact of stress or trauma on your daily life. Instead, imagine them to be tools in your toolbelt. When used in practiced combination with each other, confront ing your trauma or chronic stress can lead to a greater appreciation of life, increased capacity to manage work-related stress and professional responsibilities, improved relationships, a willingness to make posi tive changes in your life, increased resil ience, and spiritual growth. To learn more, watch The Nervous System and Stress: Takeaways for Lawyers at learn.chicagobar.org.

LPMT BITS & BYTES BY ANNE HAAG Trauma, Stress, and Lawyer Well-being T here has been much discussion over the past few years about the impact of secondary trauma (also

include long hours, a competitive work environment, repetitive interpersonal contact with traumatized clients, and lack of training in active listening or psychol ogy – a set of factors that likely sounds familiar to those reading this column. This exposure to stress and trauma also takes its toll on the nervous system, often leading to an overactive stress response in situations that don’t always warrant it. If you feel burdened by untreated trauma or are experiencing symptoms of clinical trauma-related disorders, seek ing professional mental health services is essential. These issues can hamper your ability to cope with stress and can nega tively impact your professional responsi bilities. The best and most effective lawyer is one who tends to their mental health and wellbeing. If you are in need, many forms of trauma therapy are available that provide a range of benefits for patients. A few of these are Eye Movement Desen sitization Reprocessing therapy, Internal Family Systems therapy, Trauma-Focused Psychodynamic therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dia lectical Behavioral Therapy. If you are interested in seeking out professional help, the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Pro gram is a wonderful and guaranteed con fidential resource for lawyers in Illinois. While nothing is an adequate substitute for professional mental health services, abundant tech tools are also at your dis posal to help combat the ramifications of stress and trauma on your physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. A quick YouTube search will reveal thou sands of videos of exercises to reset a stressed nervous system, grounding exer

called vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue) in the legal profession. Many law yers are exposed to trauma by way of their work with clients, and the exposure can take a toll on their mental health. How ever, this emphasis on secondary trauma fails to consider the burden of personal firsthand trauma that many lawyers might be carrying. Trauma is extremely prevalent in our society. The National Council for Mental Well-being reports that 70% of adults in the US have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their life time. While not all individuals who expe rience a traumatic event or series of events will develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disor der (PTSD), trauma’s impact on the ner vous system can be felt at sub-clinical levels for many years after the trauma stops. In fact, an individual’s number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) related to abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction strongly correlate with increased risk for heart disease, liver disease, cancer, emphy sema, and substance abuse issues. Individ uals with only one ACE are twice as likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who have experienced zero ACEs. Lawyers are already more likely than non-lawyers to develop substance related issues, so these risk sets compound. Even if an issue or experience doesn’t rise to the level of trauma or a clinical diagnosis of trauma-related distress, many lawyers experience high levels of stress for prolonged periods of time through their work. Professional risk factors for burnout

Anne Haag is the CBA’s Law Practice Management Advisor, a certified crisis intervention counselor, and a volunteer with Resilience as a trauma-informed ER advocate for sexual assault survivors.

46 July/August 2023