By Susan Hudson, University Communications and Marketing
What if you are in law school and really need help — you’re feeling depressed, dependent on alcohol or dealing with a personal crisis — but you fear it may be held against you in your career?
It’s something Carolina Law students must consider, because applicants to the bar are subject to a character and fitness investigation.
“The character and fitness investigation interrogates your life,” said Jay Pittman ’27. “And if you’re disclosing mental health struggles, will you have to defend that to get your license?” That’s why Pittman and fellow law students Annie Sheeder ’27, Ben Richardson ’29, Atharv Kripak ‘28, and Colleen Malley ’27 have laid groundwork over the past several months to launch Sound Mind-Sound Body next semester. The mission of this student organization is to reduce stigma, encourage open, meaningful conversations, and connect students with campus and community resources that strengthen the broader School community.
The group’s founders work closely with Tora Taylor-Glover, a Counseling and Psychological Services licensed clinical social worker embedded in the UNC School of Law. They consulted with the North Carolina Bar Association’s Lawyer Assistance Program, a confidential resource for law professionals and law students, and hope to bring the UNC School of Social Work’s Mental Health First Aid training to Carolina Law. They’re creating T-shirts, planning a kickball tournament and generally creating a safe space for law students looking for connection and support.
Lucinda Gardner, Carolina Law’s director of student services and former practicing attorney, knows the statistics about law school stress: 96% of law students face significant stress compared to 70% of medical students and 43% of graduate students. While law schools have implemented programming to support law student mental health, the concerning trend continues. The Dave Nee Foundation reports that depression rates among law students rise as they progress through law school. Before starting law school, about 8-9% of students experience depression. This figure climbs to 27% after one semester, 34% after two semesters, and eventually reaches 40% after three years of law school. FN [Law Crossing, 6 Law Student Mental Health Statistics by Francis Mundin, 1/9/2024].
That’s why she has championed the new student-led support group. “Life continues when you come to law school, and oftentimes law students are not seeking support the way they should,” said Gardner. “We’re trying to find ways to destigmatize, to support and to decrease the barriers to conversations.”
Last year, third-year law student Sheeder reached out to Gardner after the death of her brother, who struggled with substance use disorder. Gardner later connected her to the Sound Mind-Sound Body organizers, including Ben Richardson who was also coping with the death of his younger sister.
“I was comfortable working closely with school administration, but that’s not the case for a lot of people,” Sheeder said. “And I really wanted to be a liaison to connect people to what they might need when they’re going through crisis or even if they just want a shoulder to lean on as they deal with law school stress.”
Taylor-Glover likes the group’s plans to incorporate fun events as well as sharing information about resources. “It gives them a bit of a break from their everyday routine of reading and studying and going to class. Being in a group helps build community,” Taylor-Glover said. “As staff, we say the message, but sometimes the message comes through better when it’s from people that are very similar to them — when it’s from their peers.”
Pittman is “closing in on 18 months of sobriety,” a feat they credit in part to help from Gardner and the Lawyer Assistance Program. But Pittman added that they probably would have sought help sooner if there had been a group like Sound Mind-Sound Body back then.
“I had a conversation with a student three weeks ago, and it just reaffirmed the need for something like this,” Pittman said. “They asked me, ‘How do you know if you’re an alcoholic? Because I’m struggling.’ And we just kind of opened up that conversation for a while. I think it’s important for people to see faces they recognize, and people they know, who have had those struggles.”
Sound Mind-Sound Body reflects Carolina Law’s emphasis on belonging and community. Destigmatizing mental health issues is a crucial part of the community for these founding students. They want to make a difference for their peers as they go through law school and into practice. The goal is to give support and have everyone at Carolina Law thrive and be healthy advocates in their communities.
