Brittany M Flaherty
John Marshall Law School
Chicago, IL

My name is Brittany Flaherty. I am currently a 3L at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL. In 2007, I graduated from Bradley University with a B.S. in Psychology. While on the JMLS Law Review I researched alcoholism and substance abuse within the legal profession. I’m personally dedicated to decreasing the stigma attached to mental illness, advancing the resources available to law students, and increasing student awareness of both.

As the Project Director of the Mental Health Initiative, I am very excited to work with many of you. Over the next year I plan to create a baseline for the current programming at each of the schools. With an understanding of what schools have tried, and what responses they have received, I will work to generate more resources for all of our schools in order to facilitate future programming. By increasing the level of communication between schools, we can learn from the experiences of others. This website provides helpful information regarding mental illnesses, and Mental Health Day. I intend to add to those resources.

Each of us brings different experience and knowledge to law school. This is a valuable asset to the Mental Health Initiative. Please consider how you might be able to contribute to the Initiative. I am open to ideas and assistance, and welcome your input. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

• Showcase relevant research projects related to Mental Health
• Get faculty and students together for a "lunch time" talk on law school Mental Health issues and how they can be improved
• Invite your local Lawyers Assistance Program from your state Bar to speak about mental health issues in the profession
• Hold a student/staff forum and invite the community.
• Showcase individuals with a special interest or accomplishment in Mental Health issues
• Organize workshops to recommend how the faculty can work on changing legal education to better foster a healthy learning environment
• Display student and/or faculty work related to Mental Health
• Hold mock trials on Mental Health topics
• Develop information posters on Mental Health-related topics
• Hold a guest lecturer for the community.
• Highlight Mental Health support groups within the law school.
• Develop an Mental Health plan for your school
• Send a survey to faculty and or students to identify problem areas or concerns.
• Donate Mental Health-related books, films, magazines and other materials to area school libraries.
• Join with a local school and put on extracurricular activities to help students "find their place" at school and learn about their peers.
• Ask school administrators what resources they have for Mental Health. Offer to find additional materials if necessary.
• Encourage your school to go beyond the "heroes and holidays" model to develop a rich, ongoing Mental Health Program
• Start a monthly "Mental Health roundtable" to discuss critical issues facing your law school.
• Create a SBA or school Mental Health resources website.
• Have your SBA plan a "stress free" day for students- massages, yoga, relaxation tips
• Give a talk on the importance of living a balanced life in law school- spiritual, physical, mental, and social
• Get students to pledge to give up alcohol for one week and in its place do something healthy (like exercise) to cope with the stress of law school
• Have students pledge to eat healthy, give up caffeine/soda, exercise and get at least 8 hours of sleep a night for one week and then to report how that alone makes a difference in the way they act and feel
• Start and promote a school-wide workout/weight loss program
• Promote the free mental health resources available to law students
• Have your SBA plan a fun, stress-free social- completely alcohol free
• Discuss with your administration how to eliminate barriers that keep students from seeking mental health- (availability, stigma, bar questions, lack of awareness, etc.)
• Pass out stress balls to students
• Discuss with your SBA ways to help students cope with the stressors of law school in a healthy way
• Encourage students to write down every single one of their stressors and problems at the moment, then to take the paper, crumple it up and toss it in the trash- that act alone will reduce stress
• Encourage students reach out to support groups of family and friends
• Bring in a speaker who discusses the importance of keeping your passion and purpose during and after law school
• Make a list of recommended stress free, positive thinking, and healthy living books for students
• And remember to take a deep breath and to not get stressed out yourself while planning this day...

• A Law Student's Guide to Being a Happy, Healthy and Honorable Lawyer
• News Release - ABA Law Student Division Declared March 27 as National Mental Health Day for Law Students
• Mental Health Toolkit
• Letter to Law School Deans and SBA Presidents
• Collegiate Assistance Program (CAP) – Help for stressful situations (made available through a partnership of UnitedHealthcare Student Resources)

Articles:

• The Devastation of Depression: Lawyers Are at Greater Risk--It's an Impairment to Take Seriously By Michael J. Sweeney
• I Wish I Would Have Called You Before . . . . . Depression and Suicide: Make Sure You Don't Utter Those Words By Don P. Jones & Michael J. Crowley
• ABA Law Student Group Tackles Depression
• Don't Be Stressed About Stress
• Is Lawyer Malaise Moving from the Firm to the Campus?
• Emphasis on Money Can Be Source of Depression in Law School

Alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental health problems are afflictions that affect a great number of professionals including lawyers and judges. To provide a model for assisting lawyers, whose practices had been impaired by addictions, the ABA created the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) to provide support to attorneys fighting addictions ans well as stress, depression, and other mental health problems. The Commission's primary goal is to advance the legal community's knowledge of impairments facing lawyers and to provide a response to those issues.

• ABA Law Assistance Programs
• Highlights Newsletter
• CoLAP Law Student List Serve (contact Donna Spillis for more information)
• Other Mental Health Support:
  • Collegiate Assistance Program (CAP) – Help for stressful situations (Provided by Unitedhealthcare)
  • National Suicide Prevention Hotline (800.784.2433)

When planning your event, here are some ideas to keep in mind that will help your hard work pay off and ensure that your attendees will leave the program appreciating a unique experience.

Tips for Planning Your Event

• When approaching administration or faculty members about presenting a Mental Health program, talk with a professor about his/her hobbies or research interests. Chances are that this person would love to talk about his/her work that would promote mental health awareness.
• When seeking presenters (faculty or staff) for your educational programs, try to bring in individuals who represent a variety of disciplines (i.e. substance abuse, curriculum, resources on campus, and in the community).
  When advertising mental health programs, use creative, quality publicity. Student may have difficulty understanding what mental health programs might include. Try to use titles that students can easily understand and which specifically identify the topic of the program.
• Remember that mental health programming or education must take place all year.
• Plan early. Promote your event in the law school and in the community in order to provide maximum attendance and create a link between the law school and the community it occupies.
• Even if you do a symposium or roundtable, provide time at the end for attendees to meet and mingle. Having the opportunity to speak casually with featured speakers and champions of minority issues is important to students.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Do not put this together last minute.
• Avoid anything that may be misconstrued as adding to the stigma often associated with mental illness.
• In your publicity, be cognizant that you are not depicting mental illness in a light consistent with negative stereotypes.
• Check the calendar to prevent scheduling your event to coincide with any religious observance that may exclude some members of your school or community.
• Provide means and accessibility to community member with disabilities.
• Prepare to respond to possible insensitive comments or gestures from participants during discussion periods.