I recently attended a free webinar. It is rare for me to find the time for such events, and this world provides many daily distractions. Somehow, this one remained at the front of my brain. I still tuned in a few minutes late. More on that at the end of the post.
Carol Parks presented Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma. She is affiliated with Florida Lawyers' Assistance (FLA). I have had opportunities to present with various FLA leaders. I have had to interact with a few of them in serious situations that lawyers face. I have been grateful that FLA is a resource for so many who need help.
I am proud of the Florida Bar Workers' Compensation Section for sponsoring and promoting this. That decision took some heart. The simple fact is that you have to accept your own fragility to be drawn to such a program. Lawyers are not trained to feel vulnerable, stressed, or less than superhuman.
One of the great challenges I have noted for our community is the persistent presence of doctors, lawyers, and similar professions on the list of the highest substance abuse prevalence. I have known several who suffer with such. Some acknowledge it, and others are still in the cocoon of their denial. Why? Everyone who hires a lawyer or sees a doctor comes with a problem(s). The same is true of many in various professions.
They seek counsel, comfort, or cure. There is a human tendency toward empathy. But there is also a drive to do something about human suffering. Sure, that is perhaps easier to envision from the perspective of the patient, claimant, or individual. But it is true of the corporate client. Corporations don't call a lawyer for help; some human who works there does. They have pressures, challenges, bosses, and demands. They are seeking help.
Too often, these people have time constraints. They need help NOW. Their urgency may or may not be objectively justifiable from the lawyer's perspective. Some of them will be persistent in their personal perception of urgency. They will require and demand that you drop everything to take up their concern. That can grate on the nerves.
Ms. Parks reinforced many of my preconceptions of the lawyer's self-image and strengths. She boldly and patently decried any conclusion that lawyers therefore do not have their own challenges, or more importantly, that lawyers' personal "problems do not matter."
If you believe either (1) you don't have problems or (2) they don't matter, you should find someone to talk to: a friend, a mentor, or a family member. Everyone has challenges, and they all matter. Even the little ones can become, cumulatively, a death of a thousand cuts.
Ms. Parks provided definitions. We all get that, but reminders are powerful. What is trauma? What is post-traumatic stress? What is compassion fatigue? How do humans react to challenges, and how can we react in ways that sustain us or at least have that potential?
How does this all flow into the "vicarious trauma in those working in legal arenas?" That is a critical point. There can be a parade of traumas and fatigue in anyone's day-to-day. But what is the added element when we have to deal with our own and then are expected to feel and react to those owned by others?
This may be as simple as viewing photos. Years ago, a judge confided in me the impact of reviewing some scene photos. The judge said that years later, they would awaken having dreamed of the bloody scene that was depicted. But that result could as easily come from a description of such an event from an injured person or other witnesses.
There was some contention voiced that genders react differently to such exposures. I will not contest that, but would warn that such a statement includes challenges. There is no basis to contend that any individual may or may not have reactions, regardless of gender. That there is some perceived increased propensity reported by one or the other does not change that compassion fatigue can affect anyone.
Ms. Parks warned about the inherency in our jobs. She championed awareness and conscious consideration. And, she warned against that river in Africa—"denial." It may be difficult to acknowledge these challenges, and more so to discuss them, but denying them is merely suppression. It may work for a period, but it will likely erupt at some point.
The point is mainly in consciousness. Are you taking care of you? Are you being aware of those around you in the community, their challenges, and their contributions?
Back to my tardiness for a moment. Tuning in a couple of minutes late, the video platform proclaimed in an announcement that "AI can catch you up, click here," or similar. I clicked. But it generated an error message saying that the function could not help in this program, at this time. That was disappointing. It illustrated to me that tech is not the solution to everything. Being on time is a better tool. It also made me wonder if there are some topics that AI is just not ready for yet?
In conclusion, I explain to my college students every semester that they need to look out for themselves. I reiterate that here for you. Find a way to be on time and in the moment. Be focused, present, and attentive—for you. Beware of taking on others' traumas, challenges, and troubles.
Finally, reiterating, I am grateful to the Florida Bar Workers' Compensation Section and its chair, Sean Patrick McCormack, for making wellness, empathy, and community a critical message this year. Let's talk more about it.
