The tipping point

03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-21 6:22 AM Page 12
The
hurting
profession
Lawyers are stressed sick. They’re succumbing to depression,
addiction and burnout and many are afraid to admit they need help, often with tragic
consequences. National examines what lies behind this endemic problem and
how the profession is trying to help its own.
The tipping point
Lawyers face a greater than average risk of
addiction, depression and other issues. So why
is it so hard for them to admit they need help?
W
hen people read or hear John Starzynski’s
story, they’ll often close their eyes.
It usually happens when they see a reflection of themselves, or someone they know,
tumbling toward depression, addiction or some other black hole.
Some make the connection as Starzynski talks about his
early days as a sole practitioner, proud to be a lawyer making
a contribution; married with two young kids, a great wife and
a demanding job. Others relate to a later period when daily
pressures took control of body and soul; when Starzynksi was
“burning to death, night after night,” a cruel nightmare that
robbed him of precious sleep.
And some look into the abyss as Starzynski describes his
two suicide attempts and how he was hospitalized for stress.
12
Like so many in his profession, he was conscientious, a perfectionist, and most certainly a workaholic. Eventually, the
stress triggered a bipolar disorder that ended his 14-year law
career in 1990.
He never saw it coming. Few do.
“I was so oblivious to what was going on,” Starzynski says.
“I just figured I’d get through the day and the next day I’d get
up and I’d be fine.
“I wasn’t in tune with my body or my feelings. I didn’t
know what a feeling was. I just kept going on. I told myself,
‘this is the way you do it.’”
Starzynski will tell you he got lucky and found help. Since
1995, he has shared his experience and knowledge as a tireless
volunteer with the Ontario Lawyers’ Assistance Program. A
resident of Guelph, Ont., he writes, speaks regularly and acts
as a peer counselor, describing a descent that’s compelling —
and not that unusual.
“I’ll tell my story a lot because many lawyers think they’re
the only one who have ever had a problem,” he says. “When
I talk about what happened to me, the heads are nodding in
the audience. People realize they’re not alone.”
He lists symptoms his audiences recognize: the sleep disturbances, panic attacks, feelings of inadequacy, loss of
appetite, drinking too and dozing off at parties.
N AT I O N A L
April · May 2012
PAUL EEKHOFF
~ By Michael Dempster ~
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-19 7:14 AM Page 13
“DENIAL IS SUCH A
PROBLEM. THERE’S AN
ARROGANCE AMONG
LAWYERS THAT WE’RE
THE BEST. WE SOLVE
PROBLEMS, SO WE
CAN’T HAVE THEM.”
John Starzynski
PAUL EEKHOFF
Volunteer, Ontario Lawyers’
Assistance Program
Avril · Mai 2012
w w w. c b a . o r g
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03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-21 5:55 AM Page 14
Research has shown the incidence of major depression in lawyers can be as much as four times higher than
John Starzynski’s three-point program
in the general public. Stress is frequently the trigger, actifor physical, emotional and spiritual health:
vating pathologies such as depression, anxiety disorders,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress
Take care of yourself so your body functions
and, in Starzynski’s case, bipolar disorder.
properly: Get eight hours’ sleep, exercise, eat
He remembers his own tipping point. It occurred
three meals a day, cut out or cut down on
during a four-day family holiday to New York, where,
caffeine and alcohol and drink water.
in the city that never sleeps, he couldn’t: his nightmare
of burning to death was so overwhelming, he was
Talk to somebody who understands you and
afraid to lie down and close his eyes.
will not judge you. Share your hopes, dreams
Once home, he ran into a friend who told him that
and disappointments.
he didn’t look well. Starzynski stared at him for a few
seconds and burst into tears.
Ask yourself where you fit in. Try to discover
It was a turning point, a time to ask for help. Since
what gives you satisfaction, ignites your passion
then he has learned that his bipolar disorder has chemiand makes you a whole person.
cal, psychological and social elements that require a regular regime of therapy and medication.
“It was always just the three of us, so that was quite a life
Today, when he speaks to an audience about his experience,
he warns them that anybody can be at risk of stress-related change for me,” she says. “It hit me hard.
“I had no history or experience with depression. It took me
depression and other disorders, no matter how much success
a long time to recognize it. In fact, it took people [from withthey’ve achieved.
That includes people like Michele Hollins, Q.C., who in the CBA] coming to me and saying, ‘Look you need to do
becomes the CBA’s second vice-president this August and CBA something about this.’”
Hollins recovered. Her co-workers were patient, empathetpresident in 2014.
“Yes, even me, the happiest person in the world, who ic and helpful. During her acclamation speech in February, she
loves her job,” says Hollins. A single mom, she fell into a spoke about the need to focus, facilitate and heighten awarebad depression for months when her twin daughters went off ness around personal wellness.
The support she received spurred her into promoting a peer
to university.
assistance component within the Alberta Law Assistance
Program, an initiative that’s gaining momentum.
Starzynski knows first-hand the value of lawyers helping
lawyers.
“These peer support people will sit with you,” he says. “If
you need someone to go to an AA meeting with you, or a psychologist, they will. They’ll call you every day if necessary to
make sure you’re alive.”
During his most difficult days as a sole practitioner,
Starzynski didn’t have peer support. He had no sounding
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1.
2.
3.
“YES, EVEN ME, THE HAPPIEST PERSON IN THE
WORLD, WHO LOVES HER JOB.”
Michele Hollins, Q.C.
board. And he didn’t feel comfortable opening up to just anyone, fearing it would be seen as a sign of weakness or that
word might get out that he wasn’t well.
“A sole practitioner is isolated, even more so because things
are always so busy,” he says. “In my case, I felt responsible
for staff, worried about liability, not answering a call . . . all
those things.”
He now understands that he was losing a piece of himself
every day. Even though his wife Marg — “she loves me
unconditionally” — tried to talk to him, he rebuffed her suggestions. When he finally did agree to counselling, he dismissed it as hokum.
“Denial is such a problem,” he says. “There’s an arrogance
among lawyers that we’re the best. We solve problems, so we
can’t have them.”
Today’s stress levels aren’t easing and Starzynski says he’s
14
N AT I O N A L
April · May 2012
MARNIE BURKHART/JAZHART STUDIOS
Partner, Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP, Calgary
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-19 7:14 AM Page 15
provincial or territorial law assistance program for free, confidential help tailored to their needs.
“There’s the expression that a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client,” he says. “The same goes for getting
help. Lawyers do need other people. We can’t fix ourselves.”
VENTURI + KARPA
“terrified” by the stories he hears of growing suicides within
the ranks. The number of reported cases is small, but there are
other deaths that aren’t characterized as suicides. Regardless,
he says, one is too many.
He urges people who see themselves in his story to call their
Beyond
the abyss
One in three lawyers will experience a
major mood disorder or addiction during school or their career. Derek
LaCroix has been there and back. But
first he had to admit he needed help.
O
Derek LaCroix Q.C.
Executive director,
Lawyers Assistance
Program of B.C.
Avril · Mai 2012
w w w. c b a . o r g
nce an alcoholic “hanging by his fingernails,” LaCroix is now the executive director of the Lawyers’ Assistance Program of B.C., a team that
works with about 400 lawyers every
year. He is well-acquainted with the factors that
make it so difficult for lawyers to seek help:
Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, depression, marital
issues, gambling, ethical or legal issues, or some
other difficulty, he says, members of the legal profession have a disturbing blind spot when it comes
to their own personal challenges.
“Treatment centres tell me lawyers are the most
difficult patients,” LaCroix says. Lawyers can reason and rationalize why treatment is not really for
them, even when they’re in a program, he observes.
Those who accept that they need help, on the
other hand, become a counsellor’s dream. When
they enter treatment, they will do things properly,
the way they’re instructed, he explains. “They’re
sponges. They want to learn. So once they get past
[the denial], recovery rates are high.”
LaCroix knows the behaviour well because he
lived it. He is a recovered alcoholic who has been
through detox, relapse, bankruptcy and divorce
and been hospitalized for physical and emotional
problems. It took a drunken brawl to get him back
on the road to recovery. When he squinted into the
mirror the next morning and saw two swollen,
black-and-blue eyes, it finally hit home.
“I had these bad black eyes and because of
them, I couldn’t pretend something bad hadn’t
happened,” he says. “I look at is as being kind of
lucky because who knows how long you can continue to limp through, kind of doing recovery but
really not.”
Now, says his wife, Maureen, his life experience
helps him bring joy and empathy to a job he loves.
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03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-19 7:14 AM Page 16
“In sharing his experience, he helps people recognize that
there is help beyond, there is an alternative, a way out of their
situation,” she says. “It’s important because sometimes it can
seem like they’re caught in a big black hole.”
Socially outgoing
Born in Vancouver in 1949, Derek LaCroix was only nine
when he bookmarked law as his career. He remembers being
intrigued and inspired by John Diefenbaker, a Saskatchewan
criminal lawyer who had just been elected Canada’s 13th
prime minister.
In 1974, he earned a law degree from the University of
British Columbia. A strapping 220-pounder, he also played on
the UBC football team. While he fancied himself in the more
glamorous role of running back or linebacker, coaches made
him a starting offensive lineman.
The socially outgoing LaCroix didn’t miss many parties.
He tasted his first drink at 13 and took to it immediately, but
Au-delà de l’abîme
Un avocat sur trois fera face à de sérieux troubles de l’humeur ou à un problème de
dépendance durant sa carrière ou ses études. Avec la chance de Derek LaCroix, ils
obtiendront de l’aide avant qu’il ne soit trop tard.
es avocats qui se font traiter pour
des difficultés personnelles peuvent
être les pires patients imaginables
— ou les meilleurs.
Derek LaCroix a été les deux.
Autrefois un alcoolique au bord du gouffre, LaCroix est maintenant le directeur
exécutif du Programme d’aide aux avocats
de la Colombie-Britannique, une équipe
qui travaille avec quelque 400 avocats
chaque année.
Me LaCroix est bien au fait de ce qui
complique la vie des juristes et les pousse
à chercher de l’aide: la drogue, l’alcool,
la dépression, les problèmes conjugaux,
les problèmes de jeu, les questions juridiques ou éthiques…
« Les centres de traitement me disent que
les avocats sont les patients les plus difficiles », note-t-il.
En effet, les juristes peuvent raisonner et
rationaliser pourquoi les traitements ne sont
pas vraiment pour eux, même lorsqu’ils suivent un programme.
Mais ceux qui acceptent qu’ils aient
besoin d’aide sont des patients de rêve. « Ce
sont des éponges. Ils veulent apprendre.
Donc passé la phase du déni, les taux de
récupération sont élevés. »
Me LaCroix connaît bien ce comportement, parce qu’il a déjà eu le même. Il est un
alcoolique qui est passé par la désintoxication, la rechute, la faillite, le divorce et
l’hospitalisation. Ça a pris une bagarre
d’ivrogne pour le mettre sur le chemin de
la rémission.
« À cause de mes yeux au beurre noir, je
ne pouvais pas prétendre que rien n’était
arrivé, dit-il. Je le vois aujourd’hui comme
L
16
une chance: qui sait jusqu’à quand j’aurais prétendu être en rémission, sans l’être vraiment? »
SOCIALEMENT ACTIF
Né à Vancouver en 1949, Derek LaCroix avait
seulement neuf ans quand il a décidé qu’il
ferait du droit. Il se souvient d’avoir été
intrigué et inspiré par John Diefenbaker,
un avocat criminaliste de la Saskatchewan
qui venait d’être élu 13e premier ministre
du Canada.
En 1974, il a obtenu un diplôme en droit de
l’Université de Colombie-Britannique. Un
jeune homme de 220 livres, il jouait aussi pour
l’équipe de football de l’UCB. Socialement à
l’aise, le jeune LaCroix était de toutes les
fêtes. Il a bu son premier verre à 13 ans et l’a
aussitôt apprécié, mais il est resté à l’abri des
problèmes grâce à l’école et aux sports.
Les choses ont changé après son admission
au Barreau en 1975. Me LaCroix a travaillé
comme procureur pendant trois ans, puis a
démarré son propre bureau. La boisson et les
partys faisaient toujours partie du portrait, en
plus de la consommation de drogue, au point
de devenir un problème. De 1984 à 1986, il
pratiquait à peine.
La réalité l’a frappée en plein visage le 19
avril 1987. Il a pris une décision: de se dévouer
à la sobriété avec la même détermination que
pour le droit.
LE RÔLE DE LA PERSONNALITÉ
Me LaCroix est aujourd’hui le premier et seul
directeur du Programme d’aide aux avocats de
la Colombie-Britannique. Depuis 1996, ses collègues et lui ont aidé des centaines d’hommes
et de femmes à retrouver le chemin de la santé,
par l’entremise de traitements personnalisés.
N AT I O N A L
Pourquoi tant de gens se retrouvent en
détresse? Ça commence par la personnalité,
juge l’avocat. La profession juridique attire
des individus aux caractéristiques semblables: naturellement motivés, intelligents,
altruistes et tournés vers la communauté.
Mais ces valeurs altruistes peuvent changer rapidement, souvent dès la première
année d’université, où la motivation prend
le dessus.
Selon le Dr Larry Richard, psychologue
organisationnel de Philadelphie et ancien
avocat, la profession juridique attire aussi
un pourcentage extrêmement élevé de
gens susceptibles. Ses données indiquent
que neuf avocats sur 10 tombent dans la
dernière catégorie lorsqu’ils sont testés
pour la résilience, ce qui signifie qu’ils sont
souvent sur la défensive, plus aptes à
être blessés et prennent généralement mal
la critique.
Dr Richard croit que le niveau croissant
de stress dans la profession et une capacité réduite à encaisser les coups sans
broncher est une combinaison qui peut devenir un facteur, lorsqu’un avocat développe
des problèmes.
Derek LaCroix abonde dans le même sens.
« Pour ma part, c’était à ce point horrible, je
ne savais même pas à quel point j’étais anxieux. Si vous opérez avec un certain niveau
d’anxiété pour une longue période de temps,
ça devient la norme. »
Au cours des 25 dernières années, il a
appris des techniques pour réduire le stress
et l’anxiété. Quand la journée est finie, il
réduit la cadence, part en randonnée, passe
du temps avec sa conjointe ou s’investit des
causes qui lui sont chères. N
April · May 2012
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-21 4:34 AM Page 17
managed to keep any serious problems at bay because of
school and sports.
Matters changed after he was called to the bar in 1975.
LaCroix worked as a prosecutor for three years, then started
his own firm. Drinking and partying was always part of the
mix and by 1982 it had become a problem along with drug
use. From 1984 to 1986, he barely practised.
A year later he came face to face with reality at the end of
someone’s fist. It was April 19, 1987. He made a decision. He
dedicated himself to sobriety with the same perseverance that
he had applied to law school.
He attended Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics
Anonymous meetings every day for years. He invested any
spare money and time attending other
groups and monthly retreats at a personal growth centre called the Haven,
where he now leads groups.
and community-minded.
But those intrinsic values can change quickly, often in the
demanding first year of law school when drive flourishes and
altruism fades.
LaCroix points to U.S. researchers Kennon Sheldon and
Lawrence Krieger who have detailed how law students progressively lose their intrinsic motivation beginning in first
year. Many students become more extrinsic, interested in
prestige, appearance, competition and future salary.
“I make it very clear to the students I speak with that they
need to be aware of their values,” LaCroix says. “This job is
just too hard to do if it’s only about the money.
“My friends . . . who see the importance, who respect the
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“IT’S A GRIND TO
ALWAYS HAVE TO
MEASURE UP. I’D SAY
THAT 90 PER CENT OF
PEOPLE I SEE THESE
DAYS HAVE VERY
HIGH LEVELS
OF ANXIETY.”
Derek LaCroix Q.C.
He attributes his eventual recovery
to this personal and spiritual growth,
which is now an important part of a
“fabulous” life that he shares with
Maureen, his third wife. They’ve been
married for 15 years.
The role of personality
LaCroix is the first and only director
of the Lawyers’ Assistance Program
of B.C. Since 1996, he and his colleagues have helped hundreds of men
and women find their way back to
health through personalized treatment strategies.
Usually, he’s the first contact with
the severest cases.
A big reward, he says, is helping
those in distress to recover and rediscover the “awesomeness” of being in the
profession. He’s also intent on spreading
the word about why so many people
find themselves in distress.
It begins with personality, he says.
The legal profession attracts individuals with similar characteristics: they
are naturally driven, smart, altruistic
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17
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-21 4:28 AM Page 18
profession, don’t do it for money. They still maintain heavy
workloads, but they have high levels of altruism and community involvement, are healthy with good family lives.”
Remember that connection, he tells students, punctuating it
with a sobering statistic: that one in three of them will suffer
some kind of major mood disorder or addiction problem,
either during school or in their career.
Dr. Larry Richard, a Philadelphia-based organizational
psychologist and former lawyer, adds another piece to the personality puzzle. He says the legal profession attracts an
extremely high percentage of thin-skinned people (see related
story.) His data consistently shows that nine in 10 lawyers fall
in the bottom half of the population when tested for resilience,
which means lawyers are defensive, more readily hurt and normally don’t take criticism well.
Richard says increasing stress levels in the profession and a
reduced ability to “roll with the punches” is a combination that
often crops up as a factor when a lawyer develops problems.
LaCroix sees it too. A huge percentage of the distressed
people he meets in the lawyers’ assistance program are
“incredibly worried” about what other people think of them.
“It’s part of that external or extrinsic validation. If they
don’t get approval, or get disapproval, it really bothers them.”
Lawyers are super-achievers, he adds, admitting he was
the same — driven to excel in everything he did and thinskinned in the sense that he could hardly handle the slightest criticism.
His “inner critic” pushed him and
gave him the energy to tough it out.
That drive that makes lawyers successFounded in 1971, MacEwan University is a vibrant, innovative educational
institution focused on student learning. MacEwan fosters student success and
ful also wears them down, he says.
student contributions within local, national and international communities.
“It’s a grind to always have to meaMacEwan strives to exemplify the values of respect, integrity, citizenship and
sure
up,” LaCroix explains. “I’d say
environmental stewardship through teaching, learning, scholarship, research
that 90 per cent of people I see these
and service. This comprehensive university offers more than 60 programs
including undergraduate degrees, applied degrees, diplomas, certificates,
days have very high rates of anxiety.
continuing education and corporate training. MacEwan University is
“In my case, I was so horrible, I didcommitted to promoting intellectual curiosity and excitement for learning.
n’t even know how anxious I was. If
you operate at a certain level of anxiety
and worry for a long time, it becomes
the norm.”
General Counsel
Over the past 25 years, LaCroix has
learned techniques to reduce his stress
MacEwan University
and anxiety. When the day is over, work’s
Edmonton, Alberta
done, he says. He shifts gears, hiking,
hanging out with Maureen and dedicating time to causes close to his heart.
Reporting to the President, the General Counsel provides legal counsel to the
The couple are heavily involved in Be
University, and in this capacity is required to develop and maintain solicitor/client
relationships with middle and senior management officers. Further, this position
The Change Earth Alliance, a non-profcoordinates the work of external legal counsel, provides professional advice to
it group they helped co-found to inspire
the Board of Governors, and coordinates the development and monitoring of all
and support people in making lifestyle
institutional policy.
changes and re-creating healthy comIn addition to identifying, analyzing and advising on legal issues that affect the
munities. He is also president of the
University’s operation, the General Counsel will negotiate and draft agreements,
coordinate development and monitoring of all institutional policy and will need
Multifaith Action Society, bringing difto continue his/her legal education and professional development to maintain
ferent faith groups together to better
current knowledge of legal developments that influence the University. The
General Counsel will also support other areas of the institution that will include risk
understand one other.
management, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Freedom of Information.
Maureen has a master’s degree in ecopsychology, a discipline that helps people
The ideal candidate must have thorough knowledge of the fundamental
principles and practices of corporate and commercial law and demonstrated
connect with nature to enrich their lives.
managerial and administrative skills. The successful incumbent candidate will
She says her husband doesn’t struggle
possess a minimum of 10 – 15 years of experience as a lawyer, with knowledge of
a complex, multi-faceted corporate, public sector or post-secondary
with his previous addictions, and instead
environment. A law degree and eligibility for membership in good standing in
thrives in a life-long study to better himthe Law Society of Alberta is required.
self and serve others.
“It doesn’t end for him,” she says.
Be a part of something dynamic as the University celebrates 40 years as a
“He’s constantly reading, he has
valued institution in the Canadian post-secondary landscape. Send your
covering letter and résumé, in confidence, to Esther McGregor or George
mountains of books everywhere. He’s
Madden at: [email protected]. All qualified candidates are encouraged to
an avid learner.”
apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
She notes that over the years LaCroix
Closing date Friday June 1st
has built an impressive peer network of
volunteer lawyers (about 300), many of
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Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9
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“What I see in Derek is that he has a
E-mail:
[email protected]
great
empathy for others . . . an
Web:
www.pfmsearch.com
expanded sense of self, where people
get beyond their small ego self to recognize the importance of relationships
with others.”
18
N AT I O N A L
April · May 2012
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-19 7:14 AM Page 19
Tough-minded,
tenacious
— and sensitive
Stress alone doesn’t lead to personal problems,
says a U.S. lawyer turned psychologist.
Lawyers’ personalities are also to blame.
W
hy do lawyers, judges and law students
experience alcoholism, drug addiction,
depression and other problems at rates
experts say are two to four times that of the
general population?
There is no single reason why lawyers are so vulnerable, but
there are common threads — stress, intense personalities and
basic human physiology — that can be tied together to help
provide an explanation.
Dr. Larry Richard, a U.S. psychologist and former trial
lawyer who specializes in helping law firms improve performance, compiled data from 42,000 tests on lawyers. One startling finding: when tested for resilience, 90 per cent of lawyers
consistently score in the bottom half of the general population,
meaning the vast majority of lawyers are more sensitive to criticism, setbacks and rejection, more readily hurt and quicker to
become defensive.
“That’s a stunning, stunning statistic,” he says. “When you
have a profession that’s filled with that many low-resilient
people, then among other things, they’re going to be much
more vulnerable to the impact of stress than people of average
resilience would be.”
Now put those low-resilient people in a high-stress environment where uncertainty is the norm and see what happens.
As Richard points out, human beings crave predictability, the
reassurance that we can go to bed at night knowing we’ll wake
up the next morning and things will be the same. But that’s not
today’s world. The economy fluctuates wildly, lawyers jump to
new firms, clients are less loyal, and technology has created new
competition, turning work into an unrelenting 24-7 slog.
“Change is happening more quickly than the comfort level
for most human beings,” Richard says, “which means we are
under stress just because of the increasing uncertainty.”
Personality is another factor: lawyers have more intense
manifestation of some traits than the general population. For
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or confidential help, guidance
and professional referrals, contact LPAC’s 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-6675722. The service is available to lawyers,
judges, and law students and their families,
staff and friends.
LPAC is funded by the Canadian Bar Insurance Association with additional help from
the Canadian Lawyers Insurance Association,
F
Avril · Mai 2012
example, lawyers tend to be tough-minded and tenacious,
attributes that serve them well in the practice of law.
They’re at the bottom of the charts, however, when measured for interpersonal sensitivity, or tact. That’s problematic,
Richard says, as more lawyers are expected to get involved in
management, leadership, mentoring, supervision, coaching
and rainmaking positions.
“Each of these roles requires many skills and personality
strengths that are almost the opposite of what they’re trained to
do,” Richard says. “So lawyers are not particularly comfortable
in these people-based roles . . . that’s where the problem starts.”
Now, add some unexpected work that pushes stress from
manageable to overwhelming in a matter of days, or even
hours. Most people will “derail,” Richard says. It’s natural.
Many people have strategies to deal with these moments.
Lawyers? They tend to “check out” — become emotionally
agitated to the point where they are unable to even converse.
They may grow skeptical, adopt a cautious, overly defensive
stance that makes it difficult to get anything done or even
make eye contact.
This kind of derailment occurs in short bursts, Richard says.
If it happens enough times, it becomes a serious problem.
Humans also have pathologies that are sensitive to stress.
They include depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders.
“When certain types of stress are pressuring an individual, it
can trigger certain types of depressions,” Richard says. “It’s not
like just saying, ‘I feel stressed.’ “It’s like, ‘I have so many clients
pressing me from all quarters... I don’t have enough resources...
I’ll never get all this done.’”
Next thing you know, the lawyer hasn’t answered mail
for three weeks, is prone to tearful outbursts and has
become depressed.
Last, but important to understand, is the human body’s
basic response to stress. Short-term stress — like being cut
off in traffic — can usually be handled quite efficiently. Our
bodies manufacture chemicals such as cortisol and epinephrine (often called adrenaline) and these “fight-or-flight”
chemicals, mostly hormones, help us respond to a threat.
“It’s a fine defence mechanism over the short term,”
Richard says. “When the fabled sabre-tooth tiger is at the
entrance to your cave, you want to be able to respond in a way
that saves your life.”
What if your job is the tiger that’s stalking you day and
night? Long-term, never-ending stress keeps those chemicals
active, causing a kind of inner corrosion that affects sleep,
concentration, diet and physical health.
The human body wasn’t designed to deal with non-stop stress,
he says, which can have a major effect on psychological wellness.
It’s all tied together, Richard says. They’re all factors that
can contribute to a downward spiral.
the Canadian Bar Association, Provincial
Lawyer Assistance Programs and lawyers,
judges and law students across Canada.
L
e Programme d’aide aux juristes (CAJ) de
l’Association du Barreau canadien aide
les avocats, les avocates, les juges, les
w w w. c b a . o r g
notaires, les étudiants, étudiantes
en droit ainsi que leur famille à
surmonter les problèmes qu’ils et elles rencontrent dans leur vie privée à l’aide d’un
réseau de programmes d’aide aux juristes,
d’une ligne téléphonique nationale (1-800667-5722) qui fonctionne 24 heures par
jour et par l’entremise des programmes
provinciaux décrits sur ce site Web.
19
03-Wellness_04-Profile 12-04-19 7:19 AM Page 20
“LAWYERS IN DISTRESS
WILL TRUST OTHER
LAWYERS WHO ARE
THERE TO HELP THEM
ON THE PROMISE OF
ANONYMITY.”
Reaching out
Lawyers’ assistance programs are tailor-made
for their challenging clients.
L
eota Embleton understands the lawyers who come
through her door even better than they know
themselves.
As the clinical director of the Ontario Lawyers’
Assistance Program (OLAP), it’s her job to know the legal profession’s culture inside and out. Before someone sits down for
a meeting or assessment, Embleton has a handle on their personality and the unique challenges it poses, and has a plan to
move the treatment process forward.
“If you don’t understand the culture, the lawyer personality, you will lose them; that’s what sets lawyer assistance programs apart from other counselling programs,” she says. “If
they don’t think you know what you’re doing ... they’ll walk
out and never come back.”
It’s a health challenge for therapists, she says. They meet
with predominantly Type A personalities who are impatient,
insecure, competitive, aggressive and antsy. Their clients are
also perfectionists who need to be in control, put work
ahead of everything else and really don’t think they need to
be in treatment.
“[Lawyers] don’t want to hear feedback or gobbledygook,”
Embleton says. “They want you to come to the point. Just like
in their jobs, they want the right answer, a solution in a package ... ‘Tell me what to do.’”
That’s the tricky part, she says, because treatment is a
process, not an easy remedy. And while the lawyer says they’re
just “stressed”, they’re usually in a state of crisis. It’s up to
20
skilled clinicians and therapists to engage the client, and “peel
back the onion,” until they get to the core of the problem.
If the lawyer agrees to treatment, Embleton outlines the
next step. The process could involve professional counselling,
integration into community groups such as Alcoholics
Anonymous or a local lawyers’ group, and getting connected
with a peer volunteer.
George Hendy, chair of the CBA’s Legal Profession
Assistance Conference (LPAC) believes peer volunteering is a
particularly powerful tool.
“Lawyers in distress will trust other lawyers who are there
to help them on the promise of anonymity,” he says.
“Volunteers can empathize . . . often [they’ll] have gone
through hell and recovered, and now want to help others.”
LPAC’s prime role is to develop programs and liaise with
law assistance programs across the country and the federal
territories. The goal is to help lawyers, judges, law students
and their families with personal, emotional, health and
lifestyle issues.
In Ontario, OLAP works individually with about 1,200
individuals. Mental health issues — depression, anxiety and
extreme debilitating stress — account for 42 per cent of the
cases according to its 2010 annual report.
Addictions (14 per cent), relationships (13 per cent) and
work-related issues (18 per cent) make up the other big categories. Embleton believes the numbers are representative of
most lawyer assistance programs.
She adds that about half of individuals seeking help in
Ontario are sole practitioners without access to employee assistance programs offered by larger firms or government agencies.
“We are their EAP,” she says. “They really are on their own
and do use our service. That’s what we’re here for.”N
Michael Dempster is a freelance writer based in Calgary.
N AT I O N A L
April · May 2012
PIERRE-LOUIS MONGEAU
George Hendy