Through the expansion of its Solicitor Wellbeing Service, the Law Society of NSW is now offering solicitors in the state free access to couples counselling.
NSW solicitors can now access free couples counselling as part of a broader relaunch of the profession’s mental health support program, aimed at reinforcing year-round wellbeing across the legal community.
The Law Society of NSW, earlier this week (20 January), unveiled the revamped Solicitor Wellbeing Service (SoWell), which now enables any solicitor holding an NSW practising certificate to access free counselling, either individually or with their spouse or life partner.
Law Society of NSW president Ronan MacSweeney said the expansion reflects growing recognition, supported by research, that the pressures of legal practice often extend beyond the office and into solicitors’ personal relationships.
“Research indicates that legal professionals have a significantly higher incidence of anxiety, depression and substance use disorders than the general population,” MacSweeney said.
“Because these factors can and do weigh on personal relationships, expanding SoWell to couples counselling is a common-sense decision for solicitor wellbeing.
“The expansion of these services to couples has the potential to help improve solicitors’ primary personal relationships, whether they are subject to the stressors inherent in many areas of legal practice, or for any other reason.”
Since its launch in 2020, the Law Society of NSW’s Solicitor Outreach Service (SOS) has offered solicitors across the state free, confidential mental health support, including up to three psychology counselling sessions each financial year.
By expanding the service to include couples counselling, MacSweeney highlighted how the Law Society is sending a clear message to the profession that maintaining mental health year-round is a responsibility.
“Through this small change, we are sending a message to the profession that year-round mental health maintenance is a responsibility that we all have to ourselves, our loved ones, and even our clients,” MacSweeney said.
While the program has evolved, MacSweeney emphasised that crisis support continues to be a central and essential component of the service.
“Crisis counselling remains critically important, and this 24/7 unlimited free confidential telephone counselling service for all NSW-based solicitors will continue under the SoWell banner,” he said.
“We regard this issue as so important that it has now been cemented into the Law Society’s Strategic Plan 2025–2028 as an ongoing priority of this organisation. The establishment of SoWell delivers on that commitment.”
