Barriers remain to men seeking wellbeing help: LawCare
Legal mental health charity LawCare has today released the findings of its all male focus group to understand the needs of men in law in relation to mental health support in the workplace.
The aim of the focus group, a diverse range of barristers, partners, mid-level and junior associates, in-house lawyers and those in support roles, from across the UK jurisdictions, was to understand the mental health experiences of men in law, the barriers to seeking support and what needs to change to encourage more men to seek support.
The report finds that despite the increased awareness and understanding of mental health in legal workplaces, there remain significant barriers to men seeking support. Personal experiences narrated reveal many gaps in provision, hostile attitudes among others, and people or organisations who profess support but fail to act accordingly.
LawCare undertook the research following an analysis of its support contacts last year, of which only 35% were men. The proportion of male respondents to LawCare’s Life in the Law study last year into wellbeing in the profession was even lower, at 25%.
"There is no doubt that more could and should be done to support men with their mental health", the report concludes. "There needs to be a joined up and concerted effort to change the culture and practice of law to better support men’s mental health."
Nick Bloy, founder of Wellbeing Republic, the report author and focus group facilitator, commented: "Men feel a palpable expectation that they should be strong, not display vulnerability, and be able to shoulder the burden of personal problems themselves without recourse to others. Working as a lawyer adds additional pressure to this sense of needing to appear perfect to the outside world.
"Generally, men often don’t have the emotional vocabulary to understand or express their experiences effectively, and a lack of male role models in positions of responsibility in law, adds to that pressure to remain stoic."
Chief executive Elizabeth Rimmer added: "The recommendations of this report make it clear that there needs to be a joined up and concerted effort across the profession to challenge the stigma that prevents men from speaking up about their mental health and seeking support. We will continue to champion positive change and encourage more male role models to inspire men to seek help when they need it."