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Companion collection – Mental health and wellbeing
Take a look at this empathetic and inspiring collection of mental health and wellbeing articles that have been published in the BSAVA’s member magazine Companion. These articles are available FREE to BSAVA members.
Collection Contents
1 - 20 of 26 results
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Mental health and wellbeing
Meet James Glass Author James GlassVeterinary surgeon James Glass speaks candidly about his challenging mental health experiences, his road to recovery and his subsequent PhD research into a better understanding of suicidal thinking and the suicide risk in the veterinary professions.
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Mental health and wellbeing
VetJoy – a holistic career support for veterinarians Author Patricia ColvilleVetJoy is a mental well-being hub for veterinary professionals that offers resources to support their mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion. UK FECAVA Director Patricia Colville tells us more…
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Mental health and wellbeing
A journey to self-compassion Authors: Sarah Corthorne and Dr Katherine WakelinClinical psychologists Sarah Corthorne and Dr Katherine Wakelin present their findings from a randomized control trial which has led to the development of their newly launched Compassion Course for Vets.
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Mental health and wellbeing
The XL Bully ban: supporting colleagues Author Rosie AllisterRecent changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act banning XL Bully type dogs in England and Wales, which are to be replicated in Scotland, have posed a range of challenges for veterinary professionals. In this article, Rosie Allister considers some of the psychological and support aspects of the challenges veterinary professionals have experienced, consequences seen in veterinary workplaces, and what might help.
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Mental health and wellbeing
The perfect job – Find it or create it Author Sarah KeirSarah Keir is a small animal primary-care veterinarian currently providing peripatetic medicine and ultrasound services in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire and in this article she offers some insight into securing your perfect job.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Supporting, assessing, and optimizing veterinary clients’ decision-making capacity Authors: Rosie Allister and Alex ThomsonAt some point in our lives, many of us will lack the capacity to make certain decisions for ourselves due to illness, injury or disability. Consideration of our best interests if we lack capacity for certain decisions and respect for our rights is something many of us will need and hope for. This article by Dr Rosie Allister and Dr Alex Thomson explores what this means for veterinary professionals in practice, how we determine decision-making capacity, and how we can support clients.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Sabbaticals: The break you need? Author Sarah KeirDo you dream of an extended holiday or taking time to study something in depth? Or perhaps you have a need to have more time for a caring role? In which case, a sabbatical might be what you need. Sarah Keir takes a closer look…
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Mental health and wellbeing
Animal assisted interventions boosting wellbeing Author Andy PerryAndy Perry works for the BSAVA and is a researcher in anthrozoology, the study of human-animal relationships. As a qualified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator, he shares his knowledge on the evolving field of evidence-based Animal Assisted Interaction and explores how mutually beneficial interactions can foster our life skills and wellbeing.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Burnout: A personal perspective Author Sarah KeirFollowing on from Mark Turner’s article in the July 2020 edition of Companion,1 this article, by Sarah Keir, focuses on other more personal aspects of burnout.
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Mental health and wellbeing
A volunteering tonic Author Caroline PyeIn the August edition of Companion we asked to hear about your volunteering experiences and how they have helped nurture your mental wellbeing. Veterinary Surgeon Caroline Pye did just that, with news of how volunteering for English Heritage is one of the best decisions she has made. This is what she had to say…
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Mental health and wellbeing
A journey to self-compassion Authors: Sarah Corthorne and Katherine WakelinSarah Corthorne and Katherine Wakelin, psychology researchers at the University of Surrey, take a closer look at self-criticism and self-compassion amongst veterinary surgeons and invite you to improve your self-compassion skills by taking part in their research project funded by a Sarah Brown Mental Health Mind Matters Grant.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Author Sarah KeirSarah Keir, a small animal primary care veterinarian with an interest in non-clinical aspects of the veterinary profession, takes a closer look at what might ‘make you tick’ and how it can affect your day-to-day performance and wellbeing.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Suicide is preventable – One life lost is one too many Author BSAVAThe Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is a charity hosted by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, a mental health and community trust with a zero suicide ambition. ZSA works in collaboration with NHS trusts, non-profit organizations, local authorities, businesses, and individuals to raise awareness of suicide and its contributing factors. The aim is to break the stigma that surrounds suicide and enable leaders to drive meaningful action to help prevent suicide in the UK and beyond.
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How to…
Maintain the health and wellbeing of your team at work Author Emma StansfieldBranching out from last month’s mental health and wellbeing article, which looked at the ways in which we can protect our own mental wellbeing at work, Emma Stansfield, from VDS Training, explores how team health and wellbeing should, and can, be supported in the workplace.
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How to...
Maintain your health and wellbeing at work Author Emma StansfieldEmma Stansfield, from VDS Training, explores how mental health and wellbeing can be maintained at work. This is the first part in a series of mental health and wellbeing articles and will focus on how individuals can help manage their own wellbeing. Read on to find out what we can, and should, do to stand the best chance of having a fulfilling and enjoyable career, where our performance and wellbeing are optimal and sustained even in the presence of challenges.
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Companion interview
Alison Speakman Author Alison SpeakmanThe new BSAVA President is Alison Speakman. Alison was born in Wigan, the daughter of an engineering lecturer and a teacher, so it is no surprise that education has been a lifelong passion. As President, she hopes to guide the Association’s CPD activities – and help teach its members to embrace and nurture their own wellbeing.
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Mental health and wellbeing
Hero dogs providing emotional rescue Author Peter LewinPeter Lewin and his Newfoundlands were the winners of the 2022 Kennel Club Hero Dogs award at Crufts in Birmingham on Sunday 13 March. Together with his team of two-legged helpers, Peter provides opportunities for people with mental health challenges to swim with the dogs – an experience that can lift their mood and persuade them that life is worth living. John Bonner reports...
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Health and well-being
Get fit…feel better! Authors: Charlie Mays, Andy Rose and Holly SuttonCoronaspeck is what they call it in Germany – the extra centimetres that have appeared around our waistlines due to lack of exercise and increased food and alcohol consumption during lockdown. With life now showing signs of returning to normal, many vets and VNs, who are unused to enforced relaxation, will be not only looking to shed a few pounds but more importantly reduce any pent-up stress. A team of fellow veterinary professionals with plans to get the UK’s clinical workforce back into shape could be the answer!
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Mental health and well-being
Practical parenting Author Alexandra HarrisThe Covid-19 pandemic has placed particular pressure on practitioners with small children – many have found it hard to balance the demands of their chosen career with the need to safeguard their own health and that of their own families. But if in these difficult times, there are members of the profession who feel that their parenting skills are not up to the job, then one of their colleagues may be able to help. She is Alexandra Harris (or McKenzie Johnston, as she was known to her classmates in Cambridge vet school’s 2007 graduate cohort). Alex combines her duties as a locum small animal vet in Hampshire with the unusual role of a parenting consultant.
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Companion interview
Lucy O’Donovan Author Lucy O’DonovanLucy O’Donovan is a veterinary surgeon with a keen interest in mental health issues – and also a passion for art. She has set up cRxeate, an online community of vets, doctors and dentists, to explore ways that clinicians can give expression to their creative talents and help them deal with the pressures of a stressful job.
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