Acknowledge the impact of trauma

It is natural to be impacted when confronted by another’s trauma or exposed to traumatic circumstances or content in our work. It can bring up memories of our own trauma. This is, at the very least, highly stressful.

An earlier article on engaging in a trauma-informed approach to lawyering addressed what trauma is and highlighted common trauma responses. The “affect” of trauma is subjective. “Affect” refers to the experience state of feelings like emotions and moods. It varies in duration, intensity, specificity, pleasantness, and level of arousal, and will impact on our cognition, behaviour, and social interactions.

Nevertheless, the common narrative of lawyer as rational and tough advocate, often causes us, consciously or otherwise, to put a lid over our emotions; our fear, distress, shock, overwhelm, disgust, and sadness are still deemed unacceptable in some quarters.

Even when we recognise our unpleasant emotions, it is not uncommon to hear comments such as “I shouldn’t be feeling like this”, or “this shouldn’t happen to me, it’s such a small matter”, or “other people are fine, so why me?”

We cannot compare the event or experience of trauma or how it may affect us differently. The lid on our emotions will inevitably burst unless we deal with them, allowing ourselves time and space to work through them.

Know when your function is impacted

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Stay present and aware of when your function is negatively impacted. The practice of mindfulness is an evidence-based tool to be present in the here and now and to become aware of what is happening to us mentally, emotionally and physically. Those headaches, muscle “knots”, unexplained fatigue, feats of crying, and uncharacteristically missed deadlines, for example, are telling us something.

Pay attention and listen for cognitive distortions – such as when we engage in catastrophising, all-or-nothing thinking and over-generalisation – which can potentially send us on a downward spiral of reinforcing our sense of helplessness.

Notice when we are avoiding situations, people or places or repressing feelings, say through substance misuse, excessive exercising or emotional eating.

Perhaps we are experiencing a state of “affect dysregulation”, for instance, of increased irritability, emotional outbursts, recurring nightmares, persisting low moods, or feelings of hopelessness.

Perhaps we are increasingly experiencing interpersonal problems, disturbances with self-organisation, self-doubt or mental defeat. We may become increasingly critical of ourselves or others.

These are some signals of the need for self-care and support. This is serious and ought not to be put off. Failure to care for ourselves may lead to a compromised immune system and other health problems such as chronic illness and pain conditions.

Care strategies to stay well

Self-care is not selfish. A trauma-informed approach does not compel self-sacrifice. On the contrary, consistently looking after ourselves means we can sustainably assist and serve those in need.

Let’s normalise this – it is a fundamental human experience to respond emotionally, particularly when exposed to trauma. It is not unprofessional nor a weakness!

Know yourself:

• What resources do you have or make use of?
• What meaning do you make of your work?
• What spiritual perspectives do you bring to your work, if any?
• What support do you have in place?
• What are your tolerances?
• How do you attend to your own wounds?
• What are your blind spots when it comes to self-care and boundary-setting?

Set clear boundaries. It is OK if we don’t wish to work with specific subjects or in specific situations. Some contexts are harder for us. And when the legal work is done, we can go home without carrying the emotional burden of others.

Improve resilience by engaging in trauma resilience courses. Sooner rather than later, consult allied health professionals such as counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists.

Our resilience can also come from our connection with others and their empathy. To connect requires us to be vulnerable, to open up about our struggles and distress. As Brené Brown said, “vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weaknesses.”

Be active in searching for and building support networks within your area of practice. Your peers will appreciate the context of your struggles better than others. Like athletes with a team of experts to support their physical and mental health, lawyers can establish the same support network.

Seek clinical legal supervision – to be differentiated from case supervision – to process emotional challenges, reinforce boundaries and interpersonal skills, and gain valuable practice perspectives.

There is a critical role for workplaces to recognise the potential exposure to trauma and its impact and to put in place compassionate environmental culture processes to support their workers.

Let us honour the human capacities in others and ourselves and exercise kindness and compassion for ourselves and others as we navigate the complexities of trauma in the legal landscape.

Florence Thum is a certified trauma practitioner, psychotherapist, and coach. A former litigation and dispute resolution lawyer, she is also the assistant director at NSW PLT and lecturer at The College of Law, teaching postgraduate practical legal training and dispute resolution. She holds postgraduate qualifications in law, psychotherapy, and education.