After a successful pilot last fall, the VBA and facilitator Cassie Gillespie, LICSW, are expanding from one Collective Care group to two. Sessions will now be monthly (up from quarterly) and 90 minutes (up from one hour). Both groups are held on Zoom, are free for VBA members, and are facilitated by Gillespie.
– Solo and Small Office Connection Group: A peer support space for solo practitioners and attorneys in small firms or offices (including government attorneys). It aims to combat isolation and workplace loneliness, with topics like sustainable wellness, common challenges in practice, and building community outside a traditional workplace team.
– Trauma Responsive Lawyering Group: Open to attorneys in any workplace of any size, especially those whose work exposes them to others’ suffering (for example, criminal, family, housing, immigration, or human rights law). It offers education and connection on the impact of trauma work, with topics like working with dysregulated clients, managing moral injury, and trying collective care practices.
Ground rules for both groups
– They are closed groups, so the same people attend each month. Attendance at every meeting isn’t required, but the goal is “most of the people, most of the time.”
– Enrollment is limited to the first 15 registrants per group.
– Agendas are co-created by members and the facilitator.
– They do not provide therapy or case supervision, and they are not for CLE credit.
– Client confidentiality rules are observed.
First meetings
– Solo and Small Office Connection Group: Monday, Oct. 19, noon to 1:30 PM. Later meetings are planned for the third Monday of each month for the following five months.
– Trauma Responsive Lawyering Group: Monday, Oct. 26, noon to 1:30 PM. Later meetings are planned for the fourth Monday of each month. Dates may shift for holidays and group preferences.
To register, email VBA Programs Director Laura Welcome at [email protected]. Because spots are limited, register early.
