September webinar series to support veterinary mental health

Nutrition firm Royal Canin and Vets: Stay, Go, Diversify are teaming up to run a webinar series on mental health in September.

The series, which will count towards CPD for anyone on the RCVS registers, will include guest speakers aiming to raise awareness of issues, and equip veterinary professionals with strategies to improve their well-being at an individual and practice level.

All seminars will take place between 7pm and 8pm each Wednesday in September, and are free for anyone to join.

Webinar sessions

Details of the webinars include:

• 7 September: Rosie Allister, Vetlife manager, on “Insight to impact: how can we support collective mental health?”
• 14 September: Adrian Nelson-Pratt, performance and business coach, on “Building better workplaces – real stories from those finding their sweet spot in general practice”.
• 21 September: Carolyne Crowe, head of training at VDS Training, covering “Assertive conversations”.
• 28 September: Katie Ford, vet and co-founder of Vet Empowered, on “The impostor syndrome club: let’s get talking!”

Challenges

Lauren Hayes, scientific and regulatory affairs manager at Royal Canin, said: “Working within clinical veterinary practice can be hugely rewarding and enriching, but it cannot be ignored that our industry also has its challenges.

“Veterinary surgeons have a significantly higher risk of suicide compared to the general population, and mental health issues around work-life balance and compassion fatigue are widespread. Through our webinar series, we hope to encourage conversations around mental health and help provide advice directly from leading experts.”

All webinars can be signed up to free now.