Managing Mental Health in the Workplace for Everyday Veterinary Leaders: New to management professionals

Following successful launch of the ‘Managing Mental Health in the Workplace’ CPD course (co-authored with Ultimate Resilience), on the RCVS Academy,  the Mind Matters Initiative are holding a CPD course for current and aspiring veterinary managers and leaders.

Register here

Who are these CPD Workshop for?

There are a series of CPD workshops over different days for current or aspiring veterinary managers/leaders including those who work in niche veterinary roles in different parts of the sector.

Each of the courses take place between 11:00 - 15:30, are in person (unless stated otherwise) with lunch and light refreshments included. Each course is aimed at the following:

• Clinical roles (including rural and independent practices) - Friday, 20 March
• Veterinary nurses - Monday, 20 April
• Non-clinical roles (including educators, receptionists and practice managers)- Monday, 11 May
• Not for profit sector - Monday, 18 May (this course will take place online)
• New to management professionals (including returners) - Friday, 19 June

Purpose:

To embed key concepts from the online “Managing Mental Health in the Workplace” RCVS Mind Matters Academy course by bringing them to life through discussion, self-reflection, and practical exercises. A practical focus on recognition (in person and remote), communication, and self-care, equipping the audience with key skills and knowledge that can be applied in the workplace

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe the importance of a mentally healthy workplace and the manager’s role in fostering it.
• Recognise early signs of stress, burnout, and poor mental health in themselves and others.
• Practise key communication and conversation skills for supporting colleagues.
• Apply strategies, which are relevant to the veterinary workplace, to create psychologically safe, supportive team environments.
• Identify personal self-care and team wellbeing strategies and know where to access further help.

What the day will look like:

A member of the RCVS Mind Matters team will open and close the day. The 4-hour workshop will include 30 minutes for lunch.

The course will be delivered by Dr Felicity Baker and Dr Jackie Allt from Ultimate Resilience.

Dr. Felicity Baker is a Cambridge University-trained Chartered Clinical and Coaching Psychologist with over three decades of experience helping people and organisations thrive under pressure. She combines academic rigour with two decades leading NHS psychological therapy services before moving into private practice and co-founding Ultimate Resilience Ltd in 2013.
Her work spans leadership coaching, resilience training, and organisational consultancy, blending evidence-based psychology with practical strategies for sustainable workplace resilience and wellbeing. Felicity has co-facilitated significant research initiatives, including the 2024 and 2025 HR Mental Wellbeing Survey, which revealed the profession’s high rates of burnout, anxiety, and depression. She was instrumental in creating the UK’s first HR Supervision programme, adapting clinical models to provide HR professionals with the kind of structured emotional support long established in healthcare.

Dr. Jackie Allt is a highly experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Executive/Leadership Coach (EMCC Global Accredited EIA Senior Practitioner). Until April 2025 year she worked as Chief Psychologist at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. She is also a highly experienced trainer having previously worked as Clinical and Academic Tutor at the Salomon’s Institute of Applied Psychology, Christchurch University.

Pre reading:

Delegates will be asked to do some pre- reading ahead of the day, this will be detailed in the follow up email once you have signed up for the event.

If you wish to access the CPD course on the RCVS Academy, on this topic, it can be found here: Course: Managing mental health in the workplace | RCVS Academy

Register here