Amber Ault, Ph.D, MSW, is the manager for the Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program ​(WisLAP), which offers offers confidential support, consultations, and education related to mental health and wellness for lawyers​.

Every so often, you might say to yourself: I am going to set better boundaries for myself, or I want to have a better work-life balance, or I am going to practice better self-care.

Or you might receive some publication or see information about improving your well-being, leading a healthier lifestyle, etc., and ask yourself, what does that mean to me? You may also wonder about how to improve your practice relative to the mental health needs of the clients you serve.

Did you know that that the State Bar of Wisconsin offers a resource for the legal community? Are you familiar with the Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) and all that it has to offer?

Allow me the opportunity to give you a very brief introduction to this statewide resource.

What is WisLAP?

WisLAP is a free resource, available to the legal community, that focuses supporting attorneys succeed in their careers by providing education and consultation on issues of mental health.

WisLAP is not a service for therapy, or EAP, and is not a substitute for more involved professional services.

However, WisLAP can be utilized for support when assessing challenging and stressful situations in your professional life or situations in your personal life that may interfere with your career success. Many attorneys contact WisLAP when they are concerned about a colleague’s welfare, when they are experiencing a stressful medical diagnosis, or when they are concerned that they have developed strategies for coping with stress or anxiety that will ultimately damage their reputations or careers.

WisLAP is an accessible means to receive consultation on next steps when seeking services. WisLAP services are free and confidential; if a caller chooses not to identify themselves when they call, staff respect and honor that, and still provide high quality assessment and referral services. WisLAP staff are available for both phone and in-person consultations.

WisLAP offers health and wellness programming in the form of CLE/LAU seminars, educational publications, mental health trainings, and office climate assessments. WisLAP staff work with many of the divisions of the State Bar, and are eager to be of help to divisions, committees, and legal organizations.

This month, WisLAP is offering CLE programming across the state on topics that will help attorneys better understand and respond to the mental health needs of their clients, as well as topics devoted to improving attorney wellbeing in the interest of maintaining professional competence. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, WisLAP is offering a number of programs, including “Mental Health Literacy for Lawyers,” a day-long CLE/LAU training seminar on mental health topics lawyers can use in their work with clients. It takes place in person at the State Bar of Wisconsin Center on May 31. See more programs below.

WisLAP places an emphasis on developing and fostering a healthy work-life balance to improve one’s professional and personal life and strives to destigmatize the use of mental health services in the legal community.

How Can You Get Involved?

WisLAP also offers the opportunity to become a volunteer through peer-to-peer support. There are over 100 volunteers across the state that are comprised of law students, attorneys, judges, and others in the legal community, including some who are retired.

Volunteers do not have to have lived experience with addiction or mental health challenges to offer peer support. Volunteers are more like mentors, not therapists; they’re someone who is in your corner, has worked as an attorney or is currently a law student, and has completed WisLAP training, which takes place annually in the fall.

Consider joining their annual training if you’re interested in becoming involved. Those seeking to use the volunteer support service can meet in person or remotely.

WisLAP also has a blog, called "The Lawyer's Journey." The blog welcomes guest writers, if you'd like to tell your story, express your opinion, or raise important questions related to improving lawyers’ lives. Contact the WisLAP manager Amber Ault for more information.

How Can We Make the Legal Community in Wisconsin Stronger?

WisLAP is available to anyone in the legal community: those seeking support and those willing to lend it.

Although WisLAP is a small operation, with the assistance of volunteers it is a mighty resource that should be shared across the state and throughout the legal community. WisLAP has enjoyed national visibility historically as a leader in assessing and responding to the emotional and mental health needs of attorneys, in the interest of supporting their career success.

For more information or to set up a consultation, contact WisLAP at:

• callwislap@wisbar.org;
• (800) 543-2625; or
• wisbar.org/wislap.

This article was originally published on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Government Lawyers Blog. Visit the State Bar divisions webpage or the Government Lawyers Division webpage to learn more about the benefits of division membership.