Veterinary Health and Wellness Resources

Are you feeling overwhelmed, alone, or isolated? Consider Togetherall to connect to your veterinary peers in an anonymous, asynchronous, safe space to share, get support, and start to feel better.

Do you want to speak with a mental health professional who understands the unique challenges of veterinary medicine? Find counsellors, social workers, and certified coaches through the CVMA VetConnect Directory.

Counselling services may also be available through your provincial veterinary member assistance plan. Contact information can be found in the Who Ya Gonna Call list.

Are you having persistent negative thoughts, thoughts of suicide, or are in a crisis? Call the Suicide Crisis Helpline at 9-8-8 or text 9-8-8 to connect to a crisis responder and get help without judgement. Or call 911 or visit the nearest hospital.

CVMA RISE Program

CVMA’s RISE Program

The CVMA’s national Wellness, Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Program, RISE, is founded on the principles of DEI, accessibility, and psychological health and safety. It supports the well-being of veterinary professionals and the development of healthy teams, positive workplace cultures and environments rooted in caring, trust, belonging, and psychological safety. Built around four pillars: Healing, Maintaining Well-being, Protection from Psychological Harm, and Amplifying Joy in Veterinary Medicine, RISE offers a growing collection of courses, tools, and resources to help individuals and teams thrive. Featured offerings include:

  • The Working Mind is a practical mental health training program that helps individuals recognize changes in themselves and others, start supportive conversations, strengthen coping skills, and foster a healthier, more psychologically safe workplace culture. The Working Mind for Veterinary Medicine customization is coming soon! Developed by Opening Minds of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and sponsored by Petsecure.
  • Togetherall is a safe, anonymous online space available 24/7/365, where you can connect with others who understand the unique pressures of veterinary life. Moderated by licensed mental health professionals and available in English and French, this peer-to-peer platform is free for anyone working in the Canadian veterinary profession — anytime, anywhere with internet access. Sponsored by Western Financial Group.
  • CVMA VetConnect Directory connects veterinary professionals with licensed and registered psychologists, social workers, therapists, and certified coaches who also have deep experience in veterinary medicine and understand the culture. Vet-focused help when you need it.
  • Mental Health First Aid Courses provide practical skills to recognize, respond to, and support individuals experiencing mental health challenges. Sponsored by Merck Animal Health. Course offerings are updated regularly.
  • Based on the EDI RACE-approved educational webinar series with Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, a full on-demand RACE certificate series will be available in fall 2026. Sponsored by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets.
  • Mental Health Webinar and Video Series, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, features open and honest conversations about mental health in the veterinary community, decreases stigma around talking about mental health, and creates a community where we look out for and help one another.
  • The CVMA Insurance Program helps support mental health by providing access to counselling and other health and workplace benefits for veterinarians and staff and offers clinic owners and leaders a practical way to strengthen staff wellbeing, retention, and workplace sustainability. Offered through Western Financial Group.
  • The CVMA Cyberbullying Support Line provides confidential support and guidance for veterinary professionals experiencing online harassment, helping them navigate and respond to cyberbullying safely and appropriately.

Please contact Dr. Kathy Keil, CVMA Director, Wellness, Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility with comments or questions.

The CVMA Wellness, DEI+ Accessibility Program

The CVMA Wellness, DEI+ Accessibility Program is designed for veterinarians and veterinary professionals to achieve healthy, sustainable, and meaningful careers, while working with resilient teams in flourishing workplaces. The program is built on and incorporates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), Accessibility, Cultural Sensitivity, and Psychological Health and Safety Principles. 

The program features four components:

  1. Getting Well
  2. Being Well
  3. Being Protected
  4. Amplifying Joy

Getting well recognizes that it is hard, if not impossible, to work when one is unhealthy and/or injured. As such, it is important to have resources, support, and tools to help you recover and have a meaningful and satisfying work experience.

Being well refers to resources, supports, and tools to help you maintain health and wellness in all dimensions including mental, physical, emotional, social, financial, and occupational.

Being protected focuses on resources, supports, and tools to help prevent and reduce the negative impact of occupational psychological stressors, including those unique to veterinary medicine.

Amplifying Joy is our way of celebrating the profession with pride and joy. This helps to uplift and provide a positive antidote to psychological harm that may be encountered in the work you do. We will curate and share stories about Canadian veterinary professionals who are finding meaning and accomplishment in their work.

The program is currently operating using existing resources, support, and tools (see below). New offerings, three of which are specific to steward DEI and accessibility, are currently under review to help round out the program.

The Working Mind Employee and Manager Courses, developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and sponsored by Petsecure, address workplace mental health concerns caused by inherent workplace stressors such as interpersonal relationships and conflict, day-to-day workflow pressures, and some challenges unique to veterinary medicine like ethical and moral distress. 

Togetherall, sponsored by Western Financial Group, is a 24/7/365 online peer platform and mental health support resource free for all Canadian veterinarians and veterinary students and offers a closed community just for this group. Anonymously and confidentially share questions and struggles with peers who understand what you are going through. Togetherall is inclusive and safe with oversight by licensed mental health practitioners.

Our Mental Health Webinar and Video Series, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, bring open and honest conversations about mental health to the veterinary community, decrease stigma to talk about the health of our brain, and create a community where members look out for and help one another. 

Employee and Workplace Services, sponsored by the CVMA’s insurance partner Western Financial Group, offers clinics and veterinarians access to Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), general human resource supports for practice owners, counselling sessions, and more.

Our Web-Based Mental Health Resource Hub is a curated collection of credible and evidence-based resources, counsellor (many who’s services are covered by provincial veterinary medical associations) contact information, and other supports, many of which are tailored specifically for veterinary medicine.

Additionally, the CVMA DEI and accessibility web-based veterinary medicine resource hub is currently in development.