Trauma-informed Laywering
images from the May 2024 training cohort held in Athens
Therapeutic Legal Assistance Model
SolidariTee are, to our knowledge, the only funder operating in Greece that specifically focuses on bridging the gap between legal aid and mental health support. A big part of our strategy is to further the provision of trauma-informed legal aid, which means legal support provided in a way that is understanding of the impacts of trauma and mental distress on a person's experiences of the legal process of seeking asylum, as well as on their legal claim itself. You can read more about our decision to focus on this area back in 2022 HERE.
​
From 2022-2024, SolidariTee were delighted to partner with AMERA International to fund and support the development of what is now known as the Therapeutic Legal Assistance Model. This model, developed by the AMERA team and building on 20 years of the organisation's knowledge in the field of legal aid and mental health and psychosocial support, takes the form of a framework intended to be delivered as part of a facilitated training and professional development course based around three key pillars:
-
Trauma informed legal representation
-
Interdisciplinary casework & advocacy
-
Mental health considerations in asylum & protection procedures
Funded by, and with strategic and contextual inputs from SolidariTee, in 2023 and 2024 two cohorts have participated in the programme for the first time globally, and more than 35 legal aid professionals in Greece have been able to access free of charge professional development based upon this model. Following AMERA's closure in June 2024, SolidariTee now hosts and manages resources associated with the Model, and is pleased to be able to continue to collaborate with Sabine Larribeau, former director at AMERA and research and development lead for the Model, along with other expert guest facilitators, in continued dissemination of resources and delivery of training and professional development opportunities.
The work done by AMERA International during their time partnering with SolidariTee has been, and will continue to be, an enormous contributor to our impact and ability to support grassroots NGOs in more direct ways than through funding alone. We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the AMERA team for their work developing a truly pioneering and sector-leading approach to promoting therapeutic and trauma-informed legal assistance that benefits clients and practitioners alike, and look forward to continuing to share and promote these resources within our training programmes and across the work done by all of our partner organisations.
​
​
Want to learn more?
Training and Resources
If you or your organisation are interested in being part of a Therapeutic Legal Assistance Model facilitated training cohort or commissioning a bespoke professional development programme related to these concepts, please email Alexa Netty at alexa@solidaritee.org.uk to discuss your interests and the possibility for upcoming course dates.
Though resources developed specifically for the TLAM programme are only available to those who are signed up to a cohort, a resource index of collated, publicly available articles, research and toolkits produced by academic and third-sector organisations has also been prepared and can be freely accessed, to support anyone interested in learning more about therapeutic legal assistance and trauma-informed approaches.