New mental health support services

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New mental health support services
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Introduction

• When you think of workplace health and safety,
  you probably think of industrial accidents
  involving heavy machinery, causing physical
  injuries at construction sites and other
  high-risk workplaces. Mental health risks may not
  immediately come to mind. However, increased
  awareness of the mental health impacts of unsafe
  work practices over the past decade, together
  with the prolonged periods of isolation and
  decreased social interaction necessitated by
  COVID-19 social distancing measures, have forced
  us all to acknowledge and address the issue of
  mental health in all workplaces, especially law
  practices, given the over-representation of
  lawyers in depression and anxiety diagnoses.
  COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work,
  meaning many have been left feeling anxious about
  the future.

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Interesting facts

• In early 2020, the Black Dog Institute published
  a report titled Mental Health Ramifications of
  COVID-19 The Australian context which
  identified the following segments of the
  population as having an increased risk of
  long-lasting mental health issues as a result of
  COVID-19
• People with pre-existing anxiety disorders and
  mental health problems
• Health care workers
• People placed in quarantine and
• People who are unemployed and in a casualised
  workforce.

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• In 2020, the Law Society of NSW established the
  Solicitor Outreach Service (SOS) where NSW
  lawyers are able to access psychological support
  over the telephone 24/7. Law Society of NSW
  president, Richard Harvey, acknowledged that the
  legal profession is far from immune from having
  its own susceptibility to mental health distress
  and that the decision to commence the SOS program
  was informed by extensive community feedback.
• NSW solicitors will also be able to access three
  sessions a year with a qualified psychologist at
  no cost, to encourage lawyers to prioritise their
  mental wellbeing and seek help when they are
  struggling.

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• Any discussion on mental health would be
  incomplete without addressing the issues of
  sexual harassment and bullying, from which the
  legal profession is certainly not immune. A 2019
  report by the Victorian Legal Services
  Commissioner found that 61 of female respondents
  and 10 of male respondents from the legal
  services industry reported being sexually
  harassed.
• Further, 81 of respondents who stated that they
  had experienced sexual harassment also said that
  they did not report it. Both bullying and sexual
  harassment are highly destructive and can have a
  huge impact on ones wellbeing and mental health.
  In already such a vulnerable and uncertain time
  in our lives, its more important than ever to
  speak up against toxic workplace behaviours and
  offer support to those in your team.

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• For tips about creating a mentally healthy
  workplace, check out Episode 2 of Hearsay with
  Michael Tooma, pre-eminent work health and safety
  lawyer and partner at Clyde Co.