Mental health on the agenda at Webinar Vet Congress

The world’s largest online veterinary conference will feature two webinar sessions designed to help veterinary workers cope just that little bit better.

The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) will host sessions on mental health and wellbeing at the 10th Webinar Vet Virtual Congress 2022, which runs from 17 – 22 January.

All sessions are completely free, with MMI’s two speakers also offering a brief Q&A following their presentations.

At 7pm on Monday, January 17, Dr Claire Gillvray will give a talk entitled  – Understanding the mind body link and what we can learn from it.

Claire is a trained Psychiatrist and General Practitioner and has worked in the NHS and in private practice for over 20 years. She is also a qualified personal trainer and nutritionist and in her talk will outline the latest research into how we can support our mental health through exercise, diet, mindfulness, breathwork, talking therapies and anti-depressants.

At 8pm on the same day, Dr Catriona Mellor, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with an interest in the mental health impacts of the eco-crisis on children and young people, witll deliver her talks entitled – Living with the climate Crisis: What do we need to know about eco anxiety, nature, wellbeing and resilience.

As well as MMI, the conference also has speakers from the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Nationwide Laboratories and Investors in the Environment, who will be giving talks on areas including sustainability, reducing waste and hypercalcaemia in dogs and cats. Everyone who attends a session will also be able to download a certificate of completion, which can be used to count towards their CPD target for the year.

Lisa Quigley, Mind Matters Initiative Manager said: “We are really pleased to be providing two speakers to give talks on the first day of the Webinar Vet conference on two very important and timely issues.

“I want to thank our speakers for sharing their expertise with the profession. I also want to thank the Webinar Vet Virtual Congress for recognising the challenging period that the veterinary professions have had and making this year’s sessions free to attend.

“I would encourage as many people as possible to register for the congress and seize the opportunity to hear from leading voices in mental wellbeing, as well as other key speakers in the veterinary sector.”