The mental health challenges of people in the legal industry can be acute. Long hours, high-professional standards, internal and external competition and workplace cultures that encourage over-working all contribute to mental health challenges that need to be addressed and supported. Organisations need to be fluid in how they manage this. Recognising the challenges faced by traditional avenues of support and responding effectively to them will help your organisation and the people within it as we all navigate the personal and professional challenges of modern life.

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Lou Campbell, workplace mental health clinician and programme director of Wellbeing Partners, said employees should be given a platform to anonymously provide honest feedback about any EAPs in place. Any that are not meeting standards should be “held [to] account”, she said. “Having a reliable and effective mental health and wellbeing service for staff is a really important priority. But EAPs are not the only option, and not always the best option, as the BBC investigation demonstrates,” Campbell continued.

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Lou Campbell, programmes director for the workplace mental health provider Wellbeing Partners, told HR magazine: “As the EAP model, with its increasing focus on profits, falls well short of the promise to provide effect care and mental health support to employees, businesses are rightly looking at alternatives. “The desire for the highest quality mental health support for employees is reflected in the exponential growth of specialist workplace counselling services, where a small team of named mental health professionals support employees with all issues presented to them and in a timely manner.” She added: “As a qualified workplace mental health counsellor and trainer, I always advise HR professionals to use their EAP service themselves, to find out whether it meets their expectations, kind of like a 'mystery shopper'. “Now is a good time for HRs to also invite their employees to offer anonymous feedback on their experiences with EAPs.”

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The higher instances of mental health issues faced by people with neurodivergence is stark reading – 50% of adults with ADHD and 47% of adults with autism will experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder whilst 70% of adults with ADHDand 40% of adults with autism will also have a co-diagnosis of depression. To support neurodivergence in the workplace, there needs to be a two-pronged approach. Firstly, organisations must remove the obstacles in the workplace that adversely impact comfort, engagement and performance for neurodivergent employees. Secondly, there needs to be support and advice to help individuals learn strategies to regulate and manage their own symptoms of anxiety and depression.

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In my work as a mental health professional and neurodiversity specialist, I see the intersectionality of neurodivergence and mental health issues on a daily basis, and it is a topic that is frequently underestimated and misunderstood. While autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and others are not mental health issues, they are significant risk factor for mental health issues, particularly burnout, anxiety disorders, depressive disorder and insomnia. Mental health issues in neurodivergent employees often begin in the workplace itself, as this is usually set up for neurotypical employees. Everything from the lighting, the sounds, office layout, management style, communication styles and even the interview process can detrimentally impact people with neurodivergence. In a nutshell, simply having to constantly adapt to the norms of a neurotypical workplace puts a massive mental load on neurodivergent staff that so frequently leads to health and wellbeing issues

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Lou Campbell, senior leadership counsellor and founder of Wellbeing Partners, told People Management: “It’s no longer enough to just offer employee assistance programmes and expect that to be adequate at supporting the needs of all levels of employees. “The fact is that mental health issues, burnout, overwhelming workloads and neurodivergence are all on the rise and meeting the wellbeing needs of each level of employee from top to bottom is an absolute priority for retaining and recruiting the best staff.”

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Mental health issues in neurodivergent employees often begin in the workplace itself, as offices are really set up for neurotypical employees and have certain assumptions about working environments that often do not support employees with autism, ADHD or other neurodivergencies. Everything from the lighting, the sounds, office layout, management style, communication styles and even the interview process can detrimentally impact people with neurodivergence. In a nutshell, simply having to constantly adapt to the norms of a neurotypical workplace puts a massive mental load on neurodivergent staff that so frequently leads to health and wellbeing issues. The higher instances of mental health issues faced by people with neurodivergence is stark reading – 50% of adults with ADHD and 47% of adults with autism will experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder whilst 70% of adults with ADHD and 40% of adults with autism will also have a co-diagnosis of depression.

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Lou Campbell, programmes director of occupational health service Wellbeing Partners, said: “In our in-house counselling sessions, we hear regularly that parents' mental wellbeing suffers from the additional stress of having to take time off work when their child is ill. “When workplaces are able to offer empathy and flexibility for employees around these difficult times, we hear first-hand the goodwill and loyalty expressed by staff members towards their employers.”

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Lou Campbell, psychotherapist and director at Wellbeing Partners, also shared tips to try and motivate yourself to think positively about the role you're currently in, if you're just in a slump. She says that mindset is everything, and it's important to try and re-frame the way you're thinking. "Stop trash-talking this time of year or you will struggle to feel anything positive about it! Words matter when it comes to how we relate to January and February in particular," the pro explains. She also says that you should "go outside for a short walk, no matter the weather. Humans are like plants - we flourish in daylight! When we expose our eyes to outside daylight, a chemical messenger called serotonin, which communicates feelings of calm, contentment, and connectedness, makes its way from our gut where we make it, to the brain where it makes us feel more emotionally well. A...

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Lou Campbell, director at Wellbeing Partners, said managers prioritise open communication about how employees are dealing with the cold and if they need support. Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “Line managers should check in with their team members to ask how they’re coping with the cold weather, and if there’s anything they can do to be supportive. "Giving employees a forum for voicing their concerns, especially as adverse weather conditions can have an impact on wellbeing, is always a good thing for managers to do.”

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