Health and Wellness

“Stress” and “burnout” are common phenomena in our profession but many of us don't even realize that they are taking a toll on our physical, mental, and emotional states. Stress results in poorer-quality work, disrupted health and higher turnover. In the long term, stress can cause people to use, misuse or even become addicted to alcohol or drugs – often without recognizing the addiction. And most of us do not appreciate the costly effect of stress and burnout on the firms we work for. The pathway forward is to start now.

Watch the video below of Su Forbes, KC. 

TELUS Health One

The Law Society funds personal counselling and referral services through TELUS Health One. Services are confidential and available at no cost to individual BC lawyers and articled students and their immediate families.

Find out answers to Frequently Asked Questions about TELUS Health One services.

There are three ways to contact TELUS Health One 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

1. Call the toll-free number: 1.888.307.0590 for a confidential in-person call
2. Log in to learn more about the services TELUS Health One provides, including website materials and access to a confidential online chat or in-person call (see details in the Member Portal).
3. Download the free app on Android or IOS and simply search for “TELUS Health One.” Once downloaded, open the app, click on “log in” and enter your username and password (see details in the Member Portal).

Lawyers Assistance Program

The Lawyers Assistance Program provides confidential support, counselling, referrals and peer interventions for lawyers, their families, support staff and articled students who need help to deal with alcohol or chemical dependencies, stress, depression or other personal problems. In addition, they offer a number of workshops, seminars and events such as weekly well-being support groups, anger management workshops and boundaries for lawyers workshops. For more information, visit the Lawyers Assistance Program’s website or contact them at 604.685.2171 or info@lapbc.com.

Equity Ombudsperson

The Law Society provides the profession with the services of an Equity Ombudsperson, who can assist with resolving concerns about discrimination and discriminatory harassment. Services are confidential and available at no cost to BC lawyers, articled students, law students and support staff of legal employers.

You can reach Equity Ombudsperson Claire Marchant at equity@lsbc.org, 604.605.5303.

Other programs and resources

BC Centre on Substance Use has a mandate to develop, help implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction. Its core functions include research and evaluation, education and training and clinical care guidance.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (BC division) facilitates access to the resources people require to maintain and improve mental health and community integration, build resilience, and support recovery from mental illness.

Crisis Line Association of BC offers a call-in service for those in crisis:

• 1-800-SUICIDE: Call 1-800-784-2433 if you are having a crisis or are concerned about someone who may be. Available 24 hours a day.
• Call 310-6789 (no area code needed) toll-free anywhere in B.C. to access emotional support, information and resources specific to mental health and substance use issues. Available 24 hours a day.

The Government of BC offers a range of resources on its Mental Health and Substance Use resource page.

The list of resources above is not intended to be an endorsement of the organizations and is not meant to be exhaustive.