Veterinary Mental Health, Support, and Resiliency Group - Shanti for veterinarians
From
Shanti Project
A vital and innovative nonprofit mental health care initiative for veterinarians has been launched at the start of 2021.
The Veterinary Mental Health, Support, and Resiliency Group provides a confidential, empathetic, and supportive space to understand how fellow veterinarians are persisting through challenges. An emphasis is placed on processing stress and grief, learning effective coping skills, implementing a healthier work-life balance, and renewing a love for veterinary medicine. The small virtual groups address participants’ individual concerns in the context of a shared experience that helps to foster well-being and resilience in this career.
This is the first group of its kind in the United States. We recently received a $100,000 gift from a generous mental health advocate (who wishes to remain anonymous) to start the program in honor of the veterinarians who have cared for her companion animals. These services are entirely free for veterinarians, and the program is part of the beloved nonprofit Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS).
Who Is This Group For?
Veterinarians suffer from high rates of burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression due to the frequently stressful and traumatic nature of their work. Despite all they do for the community, mental health resources are difficult to access.
What to Expect
The group provides an empathetic and supportive space to understand how your peers are persisting through similar challenges, with an emphasis on processing stress and grief, learning effective coping skills, implementing a healthier work-life balance, and renewing a love for veterinary medicine. Our group will address participants’ individual concerns in the context of a shared experience that helps to foster wellbeing and resilience in this career.
Commitment
Veterinarians will participate in a virtual hour-long session each week for 10 consecutive weeks. These sessions will be facilitated by kind clinical psychologists with specialties in grief and loss, career development, and trauma. 5-10 veterinarians per session. The group is completely free to attend.