Addressing Trauma and Mental Health in the Legal Profession with Maria Parker

Watch the YouTube version of this episode HERE

Are you a lawyer who is struggling with keeping your head above water? In this podcast episode, Jim and Tyson interview Maria Parker, a training and development consultant specializing in trauma-informed practice. Maria shares her journey from mental health nursing to psychotherapy, her work with legal professionals, and her approach to addressing mental health issues. 

There is no doubt that legal professionals deal with stress, trauma and burnout. It is a part of the job that some handle well and others don’t at all. Lawyers work with people who are going through tough times and deal with situations that are not light in nature, Maria talks about the psychotherapy approach she brings to addressing this aspect of the job. Many lawyers deal with trauma and the profession is the perfect way to get away from it. Working a job that is always busy and on the go allows for your brain cognitively to leave your body or leave that trauma and focus on other people’s needs. Lawyers are always thinking about the client, the case, prepping for the trial and the list goes on. It is the perfect way to not think about anything that is upsetting you personally.

Maria talks about the importance of having a safe space for people to talk about their trauma and stressors. A lot of people will not tell anyone about their troubles because they may feel that person will judge them or misunderstand them. Once there is a safe space, whether that be in a friend’s home or therapist’s office, people feel validated in their thoughts and experiences. From this point, things can really change for someone who is going through a hard time. There is an issue with just diagnosing someone and prescribing medication so they can deal with the pain and go on with life. Maria believes it is crucial to get the diagnosis and acknowledge it, but then parking it and getting to what is underneath. This means getting to the root of the trauma and working backwards to know what has led someone to where they are now.

Tyson, Jim and Maria talk about how common anxiety is among lawyers. Because of the stressful nature of the legal field, many lawyers struggle with anxiety and all that comes with it. There is a struggle to say yes to everything because of the competition that exists within firms. Many lawyers don't get much rest because they are up at all hours working on cases or researching for their trials. There is also an emotionless nature that comes with law where lawyers have to be serious and stone cold to remain professional, which really adds to someone feeling anxious. 

Listen in to learn more from Maria Parker!

1:57 Maria shares the gap she saw in addressing stress and trauma in the legal profession

11:11 The significance of creating a safe space for individuals in therapy

20:43 The increasing prevalence of anxiety among lawyers

23:15 How anxiety serves as a protective mechanism

Jim's Hack: Check out the book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon”, by Michael Lewis. Which talks about Sam Bankman-Fried and the rise and fall of crypto. The book provides some good lessons on paying attention to the rules and about the importance of following procedures. 

Maria Tip: Check out the book “No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model” by Dr. Richard Schwartz which is all about family systems.

Tyson's Tip: Check out the new feature in Canva called Magic Studio, in which you tell it what you want and it will create it for you using AI. https://www.canva.com/

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