New Year and New You:
Focus on Lawyer Mental and Behavioral Health and Well Being
Thursday, January 26, 2023
12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Online/virtual program
Click here to register
Lawyers are under tremendous stress during their professional careers. Mental and behavioral health issues are coming to the forefront in corporate America and more attention is being paid to their importance and to overall employee wellness.
Join HLSA of Massachusetts President, Barry B. White '67 and HLSA DC Board Member, Timothy R. McTaggart '85 as they moderate a jointly sponsored HLS club expert panel focused on the critical topic of lawyer mental and behavioral health and overall well being. Highlighting mental and behavioral health and wellness in this forum helps to destigmatize discussions about lawyer mental and behavioral health and well being.
Speakers: Our panel of experts include:
Sharon Greenbaum, a licensed social worker, who is a Senior Counselor of the D.C. lawyers assistance program.
Additionally, joining us will be Dr. Paul Barreira. He is the Henry K. Oliver Professor of Hygiene, Emeritus and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
In addition, we will hear from Harvard Law School alum, Julian Sarafian '18. Julian is a prominent mental health advocate and practices law.
Scope of program:
We look forward to Sharon Greenbaum’s presentation about the range of issues faced by lawyers in all settings--private law firms, government, in-house roles. Ms. Greenbaum can explain the types of mental and behavioral health and wellness issues faced by lawyers and, good and bad, coping strategies for stress as well as interventions available for depression, substance use and other impairments, whether diagnosed or not.
Dr. Barreira formerly served as the Director of Behavioral Health and Academic Counseling at Harvard University Health Services, in which capacity he managed Harvard’s mental health services. Dr. Barreira has done extensive research in connection with graduate school mental and behavioral health issues. He will discuss actions that all lawyers can incorporate into their daily routines to manage stress as well as discuss intervention strategies when there are mental health or overall wellness issues to address.
Julian Sarafian is a mental health advocate and practices law. He is well known for making a highly publicized career pivot to abandon his path in BigLaw to found a law firm, For Creators, By Creators. He has a powerful personal experience to recount concerning his pathway as a high achiever struggling with severe anxiety and depression. He is very active on social media platforms as a mental health expert.
We would like to encourage our members at all times to engage in good practices for mental and behavioral health as practicing lawyers. Eating better, getting more sleep and exercising all improve health status whether we are motivated by New Year’s resolutions or other nudges. And, even when we are practicing healthy habits including managing stress, there may be reasons to seek out professional assistance when emotional touch-points demand intervention.
Event Information
Virtual Event Instructions: