Mental Health Matters

Elizabeth Rimmer, Chief Executive of LawCare, talked about why mental health matters in the IP community and highlighted aspects of the culture and practices of the legal professions that can compromise mental wellbeing.  She explained her charity’s role in promoting and supporting good mental health, and reminded us that the LawCare helpline is available 24/7, 365 days a year, for all IP professionals.  She also introduced some simple steps that we can take to protect ourselves and our colleagues from mental health problems, in particular those arising from workplace stress.

At the end of her presentation, Elizabeth addressed questions about the difficult line between mental health support and competency criteria; the issues surrounding “presenteeism”; early signs of mental health problems; and particular challenges for more junior professionals and people suffering exam-related pressures.

If you missed this popular webinar, you can access a FREE recording from here, and download a copy of the presentation slides here:

We are grateful to CIPA for hosting this webinar.  And we hope that many in the IP professions will use it as a catalyst for more open and constructive conversations about mental health in the workplace.  We need to break down the stigma associated with mental ill-health – and the only way to do that is to talk about it more.Andrea Brewster
​IP Inclusive leader