Professor Lynda Collins is tackling this issue head-on. With rising rates of anxiety, depression, and burnout in the profession, the need for a culture of support and open dialogue around mental health in the legal field has never been more urgent. Professor Collins is making sure this conversation begins in law school.
Like legal professionals, law students face long hours and intense pressure – often this is pressure they place upon themselves. As an expert in environmental human rights, Professor Collins sees a clear parallel between the way we treat – or should treat – the environment and the way we treat – or should treat – our mental health. “We don’t go into a forest or an ocean or an agricultural field and just take, take, take, take, and then expect it to continue to produce,” she says. “But in the legal field we have had the habit of doing that to ourselves, to our own brains and bodies.And it doesn’t work.You have to apply those same sustainability principles to yourself. Are you investing? Or are you just harvesting constantly?”
Leveraging data that shows the value of investing in one’s mental health, Professor Collins has created a course – which she has taught to both first-year and upper-year students – called “Happiness and the Law”. This course is designed to increase mental health and well-being literacy in law students while also using experiential learning to develop skills for dealing with a range of mental health challenges. From getting enough sleep and exercise to understanding good nutrition and good time management, the course is helping students thrive as they prepare for their careers in law. The Common Law Section also offers an upper-year intensive course – created and taught by part-time Professor Heather Cross – called “Mindfulness and the Law”. For Professor Collins, learning to manage our wellness is one of the foundational building blocks of the profession – as important as learning to write. “[Law students’] best opportunity to succeed academically and professionally is by investing in their own well-being,” she says.
Professor Collins has also authored a forthcoming book on the topic, entitled How to Succeed (and Stay Human) in Law School,which will be published soon by Emond publishing.
While mental health awareness within the profession is growing, the need for mental health literacy and skills is as high as ever. By teaching students to value self-care and apply sustainability principles to their own mental health, Professor Collins is helping to lay the foundation for a healthier legal workforce.The benefits are available to everyone.It’s just a matter of creating the opportunities.
“The price that you have to pay for academic and professional success is feeling great,” says Professor Collins. “That’s good news!”
The video featured above was created in collaboration with Jurivision.