Lawyers’ Assistance Program
Feeling stressed? Get Acquainted with Your Lawyer & Family Assistance Program (LFAP)
Sometimes, we all need a hand. You may face various mental health and wellness challenges related to your personal or work life. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that confidential support is available through our Lawyer & Family Assistance Program (LFAP) which is a benefit provided to all resident members and students-at-law.
Our LFAP is provided by Homewood Health, an external provider, to ensure confidentiality. The LFAP is here for you whenever you need it, 24/7/365.
The LFAP offers short-term counselling services that are available in-person, by telephone or can be accessed through online e-Counselling. Counselling can support for a broad range of concerns such as stress management, anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship concerns, family conflict and parenting challenges, grief or bereavement, physical health issues and healthy lifestyle changes.
The program also provides a wide range of coaching services to allow you to take a proactive approach to manage everyday challenges. These services are delivered by phone or online and often include expert support and coaching, and/or personalized resource material. The Life Smart Coaching includes:
LIFE BALANCE SERVICES
- New Parent Support
- Childcare and Parenting
- Elder and Family Care
- Financial Consultation
- Legal Advisory
- Relationship Solutions
- Grief and Loss
CAREER SMART SERVICES
- Pre-Retirement Planning
- Career Counselling
- Shift Worker Support
HEALTH SMART COACHING
- Jump Start Your Wellness
- Nutritional Coaching
- Smoking Cessation Program
In addition to these services, the plan includes a range of online resources such as interactive E-Courses, a Health Risk Assessment tool and health related articles and podcasts. i-Volve is also available through the online services and offers online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of mild depression and/or anxiety. For access to all of the e-services, please visit Homewood Health’s website at www.homeweb.ca
ACCESSING THE LFAP IS EASY – JUST REGISTER WITH HOMEWOOD PATHFINDER
Each member of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories must register with Homewood Pathfinder by creating an account on Homewood.ca using invitation code LSN687. When registering, you will be required to provide:
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Password, and
- Your organization’s invitation code
Your LFAP service provider can be reached anytime day or night, 365 days of the year. In an emergency, immediate counselling support is available. Please be assured that when you use the program, it is in complete confidentiality.
The LFAP is also available to your dependents, which includes spouses, partners, and children up to the age of 21 living at home and/or up to the age of 25 attending a full-time educational institution. Please share this information with your family members.
The availability of this important benefit is consistent with the Law Society of Northwest Territories’ commitment to the health and well-being of all our members.
Click here to go to to a document that will walk you through the registration process.
OTHER RESOURCES
On April 15th, 2020, the federal government launched a program called Wellness Together Canada to provide mental health and substance use support to all Canadians suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus crisis. Visit wellnesstogether.ca or call 1-866-585-0445.
If you are anxious or worried about the virus, Anxiety Canada has some very helpful information. Click here.
The Canadian Mental Health Association has links here to information and resources.
NWT LAW FOUNDATION
The Northwest Territories Law Foundation was established pursuant to Part VII of the Legal Profession Act for the purpose of receiving the interest which banks must pay on client’s funds held by lawyers in mixed trust accounts. It is similar in form to Law Foundations established in most provinces.
The objectives of the Law Foundation are to use the funds collected in this manner to provide funding in the following areas:
- Conducting research into and recommending reform of law and the administration of justice;
- establishing, maintaining and operating law libraries;
- contributing to the legal education and knowledge of members and the people of the Territories and providing programs and facilities for that purpose;
- providing assistance to legal aid programs and programs of a similar nature;
- contributing to the Assurance Fund; and
- doing all other things that are, in the opinion of the board, incidental or conducive to the attainment of these objectives.
For further information, or to apply for a grant or scholarship, please visit the Law Foundation website.
