Our ability to navigate the challenges of professional life is influenced by our skill at managing relationships with clients, colleagues, the court, and our relationship with our own internal experiences. Many members of the legal community have found the past three years challenging, stressful, and un-manageable. In a profession replete with stress, current circumstances have resulted in an increase in vicarious trauma, burnout, and symptoms of mental health conditions for practitioners and clients. According to pre-pandemic research, approximately 90% of US adults have experienced some form of direct trauma. For many, the events of the global pandemic and the changes in our court system has renewed symptoms of past trauma or resulted in new mental health symptoms.

Developing stress management techniques that recognize the emotional content of legal work is a vital strategy to mitigate stress, burnout, and vicarious trauma. When we are able to recognize our own human responses, we are better able to navigate challenging circumstances.

Join Senior Judge Jim Fun, Washington County Circuit Court and Kyra Hazilla, director and attorney counselor of the Oregon Attorney Assistance Program (OAAP), where you will:

• Increase your awareness of signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma, mental health conditions, and unhealthy stress and learn strategies to address these.
• Learn strategies to interact with clients and colleagues experiencing trauma.
• Learn about structural influences on vicarious trauma: moral injury, organizational trauma, and trauma mastery.
• Learn protective factors, coping skills, and self-care.
• Learn strategies to increase connectedness in the practice of law and in non-professional relationships, including engagement groups.

The MBA will apply for 1 hour of Mental Health and Substance Use OSB MCLE credit.