Wellbeing

Somerset RVN delivers important mental health message

vetreportMay 20, 2021

Somerset RVN uses free CPD session as a platform to deliver a mental health message for Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month.

This month has been important for the profession in a multitude of ways. Mental Health Awareness Week, which ran from 10th – 16th May, highlighted the impact of mental health on the profession, especially with the effects from the pandemic. This month is also Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month, promoting the importance of veterinary nurses not just for one month, but for every month of the year. 

Helen Bye, Head vet nurse at Cave Veterinary Specialists is promoting mental health awareness through a virtual free CPD session on the importance of mental wellbeing. She will be sharing her own experiences of mental and physical health and will explore how we all respond to our mental and physical health in different ways. She will be using the session to raise awareness of not only mental health and wellbeing, but to really recognise the signs to watch out for, both in ourselves and other people. The session will discuss the different ways poor mental health can present, and how to look out for ourselves as individuals but also others around us. 

Helen explained: “In both my personal life and work life I have found myself providing support to individuals who are suffering with poor mental health.

“I’m aware it can affect people who you would least expect it to affect, and it can be hidden. In many cases individuals are still high functioning, and to the outside eye you would never know they were struggling.

“As a line manager, it is really important to be available to discuss mental health openly and not behind closed doors. If people feel able to talk about mental health, it might give them the confidence to come forward.”

Helen will also explore the ways in which those working in the veterinary profession can be affected by mental health. Roles within the profession require individuals to be emotive and carry high levels of responsibility, which can cause problems within individuals who are experiencing poor mental health. 

The aim of the webinar is also to remove the stigma associated with mental health, and provide individuals with pathways in which they will be able to get help.

You can register for a link to Helen’s webinar by emailing cpd@cave-vet-specialists.co.uk.

For more information on Cave Veterinary Specialists, visit their website or search for Cave Veterinary Specialists on social media.

You can find more articles on mental health and wellbeing on Vet Report’s wellbeing section.