Shaking Off The Mental Health Stigma

Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof JulieMac

Welcome to Season 4 of Jumping Off the Ivory Tower with Prof Julie Mac! For our season opener, we present Julie’s conversation with Beth Beattie, counsel with the Ontario Ministry of Health, who is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness among lawyers. Studies have long highlighted the prevalence of mental health issues in the legal profession, some undoubtedly caused or exacerbated by stress. At the same time, employers offer little support – a 2018 UK survey among junior lawyers found that 83% said their employers did not provide enough assistance, guidance, or accommodation for lawyers experiencing mental health issues. Beth describes the stigma of mental health that held her back for 14 years from disclosing her illness to her colleagues, and her feeling of liberation and relief when she was able to show them, “the real me”. Beth also describes the real barriers faced by younger lawyers trying to manage mental health challenges in a competitive work environment. Now part of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign, Beth’s story of “coming out” of what she calls “the mental health closet” is inspirational for other lawyers managing a chronic illness – and it’s a great place to begin our podcast conversations this spring. In other news: a new report on legal aid service delivery in British Columbia has been released; the Law Society of Ontario bencher election is fast approaching; NSRLP’s updated A2J Bibliography is out now; NSRLP has launched a recurring column with Slaw.ca, Canada’s online legal magazine; and finally, Julie has started a new blog on Medium dedicated to survivors of sexual violence, their advocates, and survivor-advocates. For related links and more on this episode see our website: https://representingyourselfcanada.com/shaking-off-the-mental-health-stigma/ Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani; promotion by Moya McAlister and Ali Tejani.