Toward Well Being
By D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program
To learn more about the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program, visit www.dcbar.org/for-lawyers/lawyer-assistance-program or email LAP@dcbar.org.
Toward Well BeingMay 01, 2024
Silent No More: Helping Families and Breaking Down Stigma
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme and guests Nicole Lucas and Nancy Martell-Stevenson, from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), for a discussion of how NAMI volunteers with lived experience raise awareness and support families of those with mental health conditions.
Learn more and register for free for this year's D.C. Bar Well-Being Summit HERE.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Perfectionism: The Enemy of the Good
Join LAP Outreach and Education Coordinator Niki Irish and guests Sarah Endres, Northern Virginia Region Manager for the Virginia Judicial and Lawyers Assistance Program, and Jessie Joachim, Senior Counselor with the DC Bar Lawyer Assistance Program, as they explore what is behind perfectionism and ways to overcome it.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Taking Care of the Basics
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme and guest Michelle Cotter Richards, a therapist and former lawyer, for a discussion about ways lawyers can connect to their emotions to improve well-being and manage stress.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Removing Barriers to Wellness
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme, and guests Kristina Mereigh, Director of Global Well-Being for Covington & Burling, and Jacquesline Walker, clinical psychotherapist and founder of The Well Firm, for a discussion about the challenges to well-being faced by Black, Indigenous and people of color in the legal profession.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Battle-Worn and Feeling It
Join LAP Outreach and Education Coordinator Niki Irish and guests Caleb Kruckenberg, a litigator and D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Committee member, and Dr. Rebecca Smith-Casey, a licensed psychologist, J.D., and founder of River Valley Psycholegal Consulting, as they explore how using ACT ( Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to identify feelings can help attorneys navigate the complex demands of the practice of law.
Additional Resources:
The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris and free ACT resources
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
The Power of Vulnerability
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme, and guest Steven Wall, Managing Partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, for a discussion about the role and responsibility that leaders in the legal profession have to model and inspire well-being in their workplaces by being authentically open about their own wellness challenges.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Well-Being: An Important Part of a Lawyer’s Professional Identity
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme, and guests Tara Antonipillai, D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Committee Chair and founder of Cultivate, and Martha Knudson, Executive Director of the Utah State Bar Well-Being Committee, for a discussion about promising wellness practices for individual lawyers and new approaches to address well-being in the legal profession. From Well-Being Week in Law to the D.C. Bar annual Wellness Summit, the effort to raise awareness and bring resources to lawyers is going strong.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Creating a Healthy, Inclusive Culture
Join LAP Outreach and Education Coordinator Niki Irish, Nicole Lucas, Director of Programs at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Montgomery County, Maryland, and Scottie Carter, an independent DEI consultant, as they discuss the relationship between DEI and mental health in the workplace and how to shift from seeing it as an individual responsibility to a collective priority.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Grieve and Heal at Your Own Pace
Join D.C. Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme, and guest Kathleen Sebek, Associate Director of Client Services with Haven of Northern Virginia, a volunteer grief support service. Today’s podcast covers the normal human process of grieving and the bereavement tasks that are helpful to work through following a loss.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Access to Mental Health Care: Can Lawyer Assistance Programs Help?
Join DC Bar LAP Associate Director Denise Perme, and LAP Senior Counselors Jessie Joachim and Sharon Greenbaum as we look at the challenge of finding available mental health resources today, and how LAP services help provide access to care.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
The Healing Power of Community
Join LAP associate director Denise Perme, and healthcare lobbyist and Lawyer Assistance Committee member Curtis Rooney as we explore the health benefits of building connections in a community.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
What Does Self-Care Look Like for Good Leaders?
Join LAP Outreach and Education Coordinator Niki Irish and D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Committee member Bisa Cunningham as they explore what it means to maintain wellbeing as a leader, both for yourself and your employees.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Resources:
Dare to Lead podcast with Brené Brown
Combatting Loneliness and Disappointment
Join LAP associate director Denise Perme and neuroscience educator and comedian Dr. Matt Bellace as we explore ways to take action to alleviate loneliness, accept disappointments and keep moving toward your goals.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Address Your Stress at the 2022 Spring Wellness Fair
The pandemic continues to have a profound impact on our mental, physical and emotional health. Resources focused on our well-being have never mattered more. The D.C. Bar Communities Office and the Lawyer Assistance Program are again offering our Spring Wellness Fair as a resource for anyone who wants to focus on wellbeing and learn new strategies to lower stress. Denise Perme and Niki Irish from the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program discuss the LAP as well as give a preview into the scheduled programming for the Spring Wellness Fair on April 7, 2022.
Register and learn more about this free event HERE.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
The Thousand Cuts that Undermine Well-Being
Join LAP associate director Denise Perme, Dr. Ellen Ostrow, founding principal of Lawyers Life Coach LLC and Rashida MacMurray-Abdullah, Chief Diversity Officer at Wiley, as they discuss the intersectionality of DEI and well-being programs, and the increased need for legal employers to consider the experiences of underrepresented racial and ethnic communities in promoting well-being.
Join us for a day of professional and personal renewal on April 7 for the 2022 Spring Wellness Fair! Register for free at https://dcbar.inreachce.com/Details/Information/e4f08a5e-aa92-46a1-9f76-0fc7ab318c28
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Cultivating Humility to Improve Well-Being
Join LAP associate director Denise Perme and D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Committee member Dick Flynt as they explore what it means to be humble, why humility is challenging for lawyers, and how increasing our level of humility can lead to a greater sense of connectedness and well-being.
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
We Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup
Compassion fatigue often affects those in helping professions – lawyers are no exception. Long hours, heavy caseloads, and needy clients can cause emotional exhaustion and empathy overload. Join host Niki Irish and Lawyer Assistance Committee member Bonnie Prober, a lawyer and clinical social worker, as they explore the toll of compassion fatigue and discuss ways to address it.
Related Resources:
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
Professional Quality of Life assessment tool
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar or its Board of Governors.
Going Beyond Wellness Programs
In the inaugural episode of Toward Well Being, Niki Irish and Denise Perme of the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program discuss lawyer well-being, and the benefits and limits of wellness education for legal employers.
Related Resources:
Practicing Law In the Pandemic and Moving Forward
The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change
To learn more about how the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program can help, click here.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.
Coming Soon: Toward Well Being (Trailer)
Join us for candid conversations as we seek solutions to the well-being challenges faced by the legal community. Hosted by Niki Irish, LICSW, from the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program. Subscribe to Toward Well Being at anchor.fm/dcbarLAP.
To learn more about the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program, visit www.dcbar.org/for-lawyers/lawyer-assistance-program or email LAP@dcbar.org.