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Legal Practice and Mental Health

Posted on May 22, 2017

We try hard to stay in our lane on Procedurally Taxing. If you come to us for tax procedure and tax administration, and want to keep it that way, feel free to pass on today’s article.  Because we deal with proper representation and because good mental health of the representative is an important aspect of proper representation, you may find today’s short post of some benefit.

May is mental health month, according to Mental Health America, a leading nonprofit that spreads the word on mental health issues. As someone who has over the years benefitted from confronting mental health issues with the care of professionals, and who lost a dear friend to suicide, I believe that tax professionals and the organizations where they work should have at their disposal resources to help through inevitable tough times that are part of life.

There are many places that can provide help and information, and lawyers and tax professionals are generally pretty good about finding information (hey, you found us)! For many who might need help, however, a big issue still is the stigma associated with seeking help from a mental health professional.

Perhaps that is changing.

An article last week in the WSJ Law Firms Finally Say it’s OK to See a Therapist [$]discussed how some law firms have begun to address more directly the challenges of life in big law, with proactive efforts to bring care to lawyers who may need some help.

My tax professor at Stanford, Joe Bankman, who is also a clinical psychologist in addition to being a rock star tax professor, along with Sarah Weinstein, have started the Wellness Project. As the home page of the project describes, “there has been an explosion of interest in wellness at law schools, and in the greater legal community. The purpose of this website is to make it easier for those working in this area to share ideas, teaching materials, articles and announcements.”

There are some terrific resources at the Wellness Project site. I listened to their most recent podcast, a conversation with Brooklyn Law School Professor Heidi Brown, who discussed her book The Introverted Lawyer. The discussion is terrific, and includes some heartfelt stories about anxiety and how students and lawyers can develop coping strategies to deal with anxiety. As a fellow introvert who finds joy and calm in reading, reflecting and writing, I identified with Professor Brown’s day-to-day approach in finding professional satisfaction despite anxieties.

Just knowing that there are others who sometimes struggle can make a difference. People do not need to suffer in silence, or feel that mental health issues make them weak or lesser professionals.

Back to tax procedure. I promise.

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