Akin Gump Spotlights Well-Being Resources for Mental Health Awareness Month

As part of its observance of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Akin Gump is pleased to spotlight a number of resources it offers to support the firm’s lawyers and staff in addressing issues of mental and emotional wellness. These resources build on the firm’s holistic wellness efforts and its commitment to confronting and addressing the issues of mental and emotional health in the legal profession.

Among the initiatives, the firm announced the expansion of mental health awareness training for select business services staff leaders. The training, which builds on a firm initiative started in 2018, will equip and empower participants to identify, understand and respond to colleagues and others who may be experiencing a mental health challenge, substance abuse issue or other crisis, with the goal of helping them access appropriate resources. The primary goals of this training are to raise awareness, reduce stigma, reinforce “It’s ok to not be ok” understanding, and provide practical tools and resources to individuals to support their co-workers.

In addition to the initiatives noted above, the firm will be commemorating Well-Being Week in Law May 3 – 7 by sharing daily communications throughout the firm, each highlighting a particular aspect of wellness: physical, spiritual, occupational and intellectual, social, emotional. The firm will also be promoting important existing resources geared towards mental and emotional health, including:

• Strategically Well: The firm offers access to Patrick Krill’s engaging and highly informative video series covering a broad range of topics related to mental health and well-being in the legal profession. Mr. Krill is a noted authority on issues of addiction, mental health and well-being in the legal profession. In 2019, Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith sat down with Mr. Krill for a candid discussion of these issues for an episode of Akin Gump’s podcast series OnAir with Akin Gump that can be accessed here.
• Mental Health Advisor Program and 24/7 Support Lines: Understanding that everyone’s journey to emotional well-being is unique, the firm offers personalized resources such as onsite mental health advisors, the Guide program (U.S.) and WPO (international) available for free to lawyers and staff, along with their family members.
• Mental Health Advisor Seminars: Throughout May, the firm’s onsite mental health advisors will host various chat sessions focused on mental health and self-care topics.
• Be Well: The firm’s online well-being program rewards employees for completing a variety of activities to support their mental well-being. For Mental Health Awareness Month, specifically, the platform will offer weekly actions employees can take to increase their knowledge about ways to promote mental health.

Regarding these initiatives, Ms. Koopersmith commented, “The reality of our current environment can take a toll on all of us—especially as we have been forced to cope with situations we never even imagined, including severe health concerns, new ways of working, new demands for how we care for our families and educate our children, and the renewed call to action to confront racism and hatred. We wanted to use this month to highlight the breadth of firm resources—some new, some not—that continue and advance our important work to de-stigmatize mental health struggles and provide resources to ensure all of our lawyers and business services employees are able to access support when needed.”

Akin Gump is an inaugural signatory to the American Bar Association’s “The Pledge Campaign,” which focuses on raising awareness, facilitating a reduction in the incidence of problematic substance use and mental health distress, and improving lawyer well-being through the use of an employer pledge. (Learn more here.)

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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