Lawyers, paralegals, and human rights practitioners often bear witness to the traumatic experiences of others, and the FCT Legal Aid Service Providers Network is taking steps to address the mental toll this work takes on them. The group is set to convene a webinar titled “Secondary Traumatic Stress: Managing Secondary Trauma and Psychological Wellbeing in Legal Aid and Human Rights Practice,” aiming to equip professionals with strategies to maintain their mental health while supporting vulnerable clients.
Managing the psychological impact of legal aid work
The virtual event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. It is being organised by the FCT Legal Aid Service Providers Network, in coordination with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, with support from the Women’s Rights and Health Project and the Intellectual Property Lawyers Association Nigeria. The program will examine the concept of secondary traumatic stress and explore how repeated exposure to victims of violence, abuse, detention, and displacement can affect the professionals assisting them.
Legal aid and human rights practitioners frequently interact with survivors and vulnerable persons whose experiences can expose professionals assisting them to repeated accounts and evidence of distressing incidents. Over time, such exposure may have psychological and emotional consequences for those providing legal assistance. The webinar will therefore examine the concept of secondary traumatic stress, how it can affect legal aid practitioners and the warning signs professionals should be conscious of while working with traumatised clients. It will also explore practical measures lawyers, paralegals and other service providers can adopt to protect their mental and psychological wellbeing without compromising the quality of support offered to clients.
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The Women’s Rights and Health Project will facilitate the discussion, bringing its experience in addressing issues affecting vulnerable persons and practitioners working within the human rights and social justice space. The Intellectual Property Lawyers Association Nigeria is also supporting the initiative. Through its IPLAN Clinic, the association provides pro bono legal assistance to creators, startups and innovators, extending access to legal services to persons who may otherwise be unable to afford professional representation. The programme is designed to draw attention to the often-overlooked psychological impact of working continuously with persons who have experienced violence, abuse, detention, displacement and other traumatic circumstances.
The organisers are expected to focus on developing healthier professional practices and creating greater awareness that those providing assistance to survivors may themselves require appropriate support to manage the emotional demands associated with such work. By focusing specifically on secondary trauma among legal practitioners, the organisers are seeking to broaden conversations around mental health to include professionals who routinely bear witness to the traumatic experiences of others while performing their duties. The webinar is open to lawyers, paralegals, human rights practitioners, legal aid providers and other stakeholders interested in understanding the psychological challenges associated with working closely with survivors of abuse, violence and other traumatic experiences.
Participants can join the virtual session at 11 a.m. on September 1, 2026, through the registration and participation details provided by the FCT Legal Aid Service Providers Network. The timing of the webinar also comes ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, marked globally on September 10, when renewed attention is expected to focus on mental health, emotional distress, suicide prevention and the importance of providing timely psychological support to persons experiencing difficulties. The initiative forms part of the broader activities of the network aimed at strengthening the capacity of legal aid practitioners through professional engagement, knowledge sharing and access to resources relevant to their work.
