Practical Mental Health Support for Veterinary Teams: 3 Immediate Steps You Can Start This Month

It is no secret that it is critical for veterinary team members to have proper psychological support and avenues of care.  

The stressors that veterinarians and their team members encounter can be overwhelming, and sometimes consuming.  

I can attest to this with my own lived experience as the spouse of a veterinarian who juggled two practices for over a decade. The stressors are intense, unique, and at times feel never-ending.  

There are several ways practices can immediately start supporting their veterinarians and team members that offer great potential to mitigate many of these stressors over time.  

Talk Openly About Mental Health

According to Merck Animal Health, 36% of practices discuss mental health openly at team meetings “somewhat” or to a “great extent.” 

However, the remaining 64% of practices either do not discuss mental health or only discuss it “a little”. While there are some positives here, it’s evident that we can still do better to support our veterinary teams. Simply opening the topic of mental health in team meetings and creating acceptance of how people are doing really matters. 

If we can slowly normalize conversations around mental health, then when it truly counts, people might be willing to get help.  

It can be as simple as starting each team meeting by having each member share one self-care action (no matter how small) they did recently for themselves. Also, and most importantly, leaders should practice sharing deep feelings as a way to set the tone.  

Consider sharing about how a difficult euthanasia case affected you that week or something at home that is stressful and impacting you at work. When leaders share, it models that this type of conversation is safe for team members to also share.

Below are three ways to provide mental health resources for your team, and tools you can start incorporating immediately.  

Create a Mental Health Resource List

A mental health resource guide is a great tool to share at a team meeting and discuss.  

You do not have to re-invent the wheel to create a mental health resource list for your team. You can connect with local mental health centers, private therapists, or universities to provide you with a resource list they already have on hand.  

This list may include: 

• Local therapists and service organizations (e.g. for domestic violence services, inpatient hospitalization, substance misuse services, ministerial alliances).  

• Mental health centers and universities often offer educational services at no cost that you can inquire about, services such as mental health first aid and stress reduction classes.  

• National organizations like NAMI and Mental Health America can provide additional support groups and educational resources. These resources usually offer local chapters as well.  

Sometimes the byproduct of reaching out to an organization to get their resource list is that you can build a relationship with that person or organization. Further, if something traumatic happens within the practice, these relationships can be of great service. 

Check Out Support Services in the Field

There are several organizations in the veterinary mental health space that provide an array of support services.  

The Veterinary Hope Foundation (VHF) provides a large assortment of community groups for different members of the veterinary team (veterinarians, technicians, office managers) as well as some specific groups for LGBTQIA+ and parents of LGBTQIA+ individuals, among other populations. These groups, which are led by licensed mental health professionals, are offered at no cost and are easy to sign up for.  

VHF recently partnered with Purina Pro Plan’s Veterinary Support Mission and will be providing innovative webinars throughout the year, with topics including resilience and burnout reduction, authentic self-care and healthy boundaries, mindfulness and gratitude practices, work–life integration, and navigating grief and loss, alongside our community groups. 

In veterinary medicine, teams run on trust and teamwork built in small moments. These mini-lessons are not therapy; they’re quick, repeatable check-ins that strengthen communication and psychological safety during busy shifts. Try one in a huddle or shift change and end with one clear next step.  

In sum, having consistent conversations in your practice that normalize mental health challenges is a great way to start supporting veterinary team members. Having a resource list and encouraging team members to engage in support groups like those through VHF can provide even more opportunities for mental health support.