BSAVA training supports World Mental Health Day on October 10 with Mind Matters CPD
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) is hosting a series of Mind Matters CPD courses that are free for members, and encourages the profession to focus on the well-being of the entire practice team this World Mental Health Day on October 10.
BSAVA’ s contribution to the Mind Matters initiative, set up by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, is part of the profession’s response to research showing that the stress of working in modern veterinary practices has taken a heavy toll on the mental wellbeing of many staff.
Mental ill-health will affect one in four people over the next 12 months. There are particular issues within the veterinary team, with higher than average rates of suicide, and patterns of distress, anxiety and depression, among other illnesses.
Limited places are available for five of BSAVA’ s 12 mental health awareness regional meetings aimed at reducing the numbers of vets and vet nurses affected by clinical depression, by increasing knowledge about mental wellbeing, building resilience in dealing with stress and dispelling the stigma about mental illness that may prevent people seeking help.
The meetings provide training for all members of the practice team to help them recognise any signs of mental problems in their colleagues – and, perhaps, in themselves. The training aims to help individuals know how to communicate with people they are concerned about and offers tips on stress management and staying well.
BSAVA Vice President John Chitty, who understands the particular challenges of mental health for veterinary professionals, said it was important to reach out and respond as a profession to this serious problem.
“We’re keen to stress that this is not a counselling course, but provides basic information about how to better understand the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health, manage important first conversations, and point people to relevant sources of professional help,” he said.
“The idea of ‘team’ is so important; we need to look after each other and, BSAVA can help that’s why we wanted to increase coverage for Mind Matters across the UK. We want to raise awareness and remove the stigma. No-one worries about disclosing physical illnesses but with mental illness it is still too often hidden, and it should not be that way.”
He added: “Isolation can be a big driver for mental health issues, and also that feeling that you can’t disclose this because of fear of the consequences. My main advice for everyone is to be aware of others, be supportive, understand and appreciate them, notice when someone isn’t acting like they usually do. And if you are suffering, remember that you are in a team with people who you should be able to talk to. It is impossible to remove stress completely, and we can’t put everything on the practice owner, this is a responsibility for the entire team – for the entire profession.”
The following courses have places available:
West Midlands region – 21st September – Bromyard
Cymru/Wales region – 20th October – Bridgend
Northern Ireland region – 26th October – Belfast
East Midlands region – 22nd November – Derby
Scotland region – 8th December – Glasgow
The course has been subsidised by BSAVA and is available free to BSAVA members and just £40 per person for non-members. Details for the following events can be found online at www.bsava.com.
Places on each course are limited. For more information visit:
www.bsava.com/CPD/MindMatters.aspx
World Mental Health Day (10 October) is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organisation with members and contacts in more than 150 countries.
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