Veterinarians do so much for the community, yet they are underserved in terms of access to mental health resources. Veterinarians suffer from high rates of burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety, and depression due to the frequently stressful and traumatic nature of their work.

There is currently a lack of mental health care, support, and resources specialized to the distinct challenges veterinarians encounter:

• They choose this profession because they love animals, yet they are on the frontline of animal abuse and neglect cases;
• They often must euthanize animals that could be saved if their owners had greater financial resources;
• Unlike medicine and psychology where it is against the law to treat loved ones, veterinarians frequently care for the pets of their family and friends; this situation only compounds the anxiety, guilt, and failure they feel should an animal not survive or need to be euthanized.
• Both compassion fatigue (a state characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a decreased ability to empathize) and burnout (caused by an intense work environment, demanding caseload, limited access to resources, and inadequate organizational support) impact veterinarians’ personal and professional fulfillment.
• Veterinarians have a high rate of suicide compared to other professional occupations;
• There is currently no program in the U.S. facilitating support groups for veterinarians by mental health professionals.

We offer two group formats:

(1) The first is a traditional support group. Several groups are conducted each week; participants can select their group based on their preferred time and day of the week.

(2) We also offer drop-in groups that address acute distress and concerns. These groups do not require a long-term commitment and are first-come, first served. Sessions will be held on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 5pm PST (8pm EST). Additional groups can be accommodated by request.

For the traditional support group, we ask that participants to make a 10-week commitment. While we certainly understand that emergencies and family obligations arise, given the supportive and empathic atmosphere we are hoping to create, your presence and participation is vital in doing so. These groups will be scheduled based on participants’ availability.

The drop-in groups that address acute distress and concerns do not require a long-term commitment and are first-come, first served. Sessions will be held on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 5pm PST (8pm EST). Additional groups can be accommodated by request.

Groups are held via Zoom. Each participant will be emailed a link to the session with a passcode to ensure privacy.

Each group meets for 1 hour (60 minutes).

The group is limited to 5-10 participants, all of whom are veterinarians.

It is completely free to attend.

Topics covered in the group will include stress and anxiety management, grief processing, problem solving, interpersonal effectiveness with both staff and clients, personal and professional values, anger and depression reduction, sleep hygiene, and self-care.

Our group provides an empathetic and supportive space to understand how fellow veterinarians are persevering through similar issues, with an emphasis on 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 shared career experiences.

Although each veterinarian’s concerns are unique, there is a collective understanding that exists in this professional field. This group will provide participants an opportunity to remember that they are not alone, and to learn how their peers are processing and progressing through similar struggles.

Evidence-Based Benefits of Attending this Group:

• Normalization and Validation: Peer groups normalize and validate profession-related stressors including compassion fatigue and burnout. They also encourage protective factors, specifically help-seeking behaviors.
• Disclosure: Discussing your situation with peers can aid you in making sense of what you’re going through, while providing the opportunity to reflect in a safe and understanding environment.
• Community Engagement: Community engagement is a core aspect of social capital. By participating in a peer group, veterinarians are giving back to their professional community via their commitment to current and future members (as the program grows and expands). This involvement has been demonstrated to result in enhanced physical health, reduced stress, decreased depressive symptoms, reduced risk of suicide, and mental resilience.

The objective of a support group is to help participants cope around a common issue or experience – in this case the often stressful and traumatic nature of practicing veterinary medicine. This group is specifically designed to provide a compassionate, nonjudgmental space to process grief (and other strong emotions), learn skills to effectively manage stress and avoid burnout, share experiences, and incorporate best practices. Individuals who engage in support groups often describe a renewed sense of strength, respect, resilience, increased social support, and love for their job.

The objective of a therapy group however is to actively promote cognitive and behavioral change in response to a problem or general discontent in one’s life. Group members are encouraged to articulate what they think and feel with regards to their current life circumstances and personal relationships, as well as to comment on their experiences interacting with other participants. Feedback in therapy groups is often confrontational and direct in nature, and is meant to prompt honest personal reflection. The hope is that these discussions will aid participants in a deeper understanding of themselves so as to begin changing the thoughts and behaviors that cause suffering in their lives.

We ask all group participants to honor each other’s privacy as this creates a respectful and trusting environment. We understand that you may wish to share with colleagues and loved ones what you are learning in the group; this is permitted as long as you in no way compromise the confidentiality of fellow group members.

Given that this group will be conducted virtually, participants can choose to use solely their first names, both on their Zoom nametag and when introducing themselves.

Please know that under California law, the clinical psychologists who facilitate the group are mandated reporters, and therefore must notify the appropriate authorities if they learn of a reportable situation. While these rarely occur, if one does, the group facilitator will make every effort to fully discuss it with the participant before taking any action.

Limits to confidentiality are in place:

• To Protect You. Our primary concern is the safety of group participants. If the facilitator has reason to believe that a participant is at risk for injuring or killing themselves, they are legally and ethically required to attempt to prevent this from occurring. This may range from contacting family members or others who can help provide protection, arranging for hospitalization with the participant’s consent, or in the event of an emergency, facilitating involuntary hospitalization.
• To Protect the Public. In certain situations, the group facilitator is legally obligated to take action to protect others from harm. For example, if the group facilitator were to hear about the neglect or abuse (emotional and/or physical) of a child, older adult (age 65 and older), or dependent adult, they would be required file a report with the appropriate state agency. This includes accessing, transmitting, or downloading sexually explicit material of a minor under 18-years old.
• In Legal Proceedings. Although the facilitator will make every effort to protect a participant’s privacy, he/she may be subpoenaed by a court of law. In most legal proceedings, a participant has the right to restrict access to information about their engagement in the group. In some proceedings however, such as those in which emotional condition is a critical issue, it is possible that a judge may order the facilitator’s testimony. Confidentiality may also be limited by other situations in which the law requires or directs that confidentiality does not exist.

Interested participants should email Dr. Katie Lawlor at klawlor@shanti.org.

You will be asked to complete the following documents, all of which can be done online:

• a brief Qualtrics survey of demographic information and background;
• a consent form;
• a poll for preferred availability for attending the group (days and times); and
• 2 pre-group standardized measurements (which will be administered again after 10 weeks).

• We ask that what is said in the group stay in the group, so that everyone feels as comfortable and supported when speaking and sharing.
• Recognize that group members have permission to share what they choose, and only when they are ready.
• We ask that you share your feelings and experiences, but try not to advise others.
• Honor and respect the different ways we process stress, grief, and loss without judgement.
• Please limit background noise.
• Kindly give facilitators as much notice as possible if you must miss a group.

These sessions will be facilitated by understanding and kind clinical psychologists with specialties in grief and loss, career development, work-life balance, and trauma.

Dr. Katie Lawlor

Dr. Katie Lawlor received her doctorate from the joint program between the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. She trained at both the Stanford University Medical Center and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, focusing on human-animal interactions (HAI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), neuropsychology. Prior to her career in clinical psychology, Dr. Lawlor held positions with NBC News in Beijing and New York City, the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC, and the Governor’s Office of California.

Education:

• Clinical Internship, VA Northern California Health Care System
• Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, PGSP-Stanford Consortium
• M.I.A., Economic Policy, Columbia University
• B.A., University of Notre Dame

Dr. Dustin Kieschnick

Dr. Dustin Kieschnick received his doctorate from the joint program between the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. He has trained at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, New York.  Dr. Kieschnick’s research and clinical focus is on grief and trauma.  He is currently the Associate Director of Research of Scalable Therapeutics at the University of California, San Francisco.  Prior to his career in clinical psychology, Dr. Kieschnick served in the United States Marine Corps for 9 years.

Education:

• Clinical Internship, James J. Peters VA Medical Center
• Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, PGSP-Stanford Consortium
• B.A., University of Houston