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Vet professionals offered free help with self-criticism
The course has been made available for free so as many people can benefit as possible.
Online compassion focused therapy course made available through Mind Matters.

A compassion focused therapy (CFT) course for veterinary professionals with high-levels of self-criticism has been made available for free on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) website.

Designed to address issues around self-critique and perfectionism, the course teaches veterinary professionals how to improve their self-compassion and reduce their self-criticism.

The course was developed at the University of Surrey by clinical psychologist Katherine Wakelin and trainee clinical psychologist Sarah Corthorne. The research, funded with a Sarah Brown Mental Health Research Grant from MMI, saw a randomised control trial used to study how effective the online CFT intervention was in improving the mental health of veterinary professionals.

Dr Wakelin said: “Our recent randomised control trial has shown the course to significantly improve resilience and self-compassion and reduce rumination and self-criticism amongst veterinarians.

“Therefore, Sarah and I are delighted to now be disseminating the CFT course freely to the veterinary profession, so that as many people as possible are able to benefit from the evidence-based resource.”

Dr Wakelin and Ms Corthorne will be hosting a free webinar about their research and the course from 7-8pm on Tuesday, 3 September.

MMI lead Rapinder Newton added: “Katherine and Sarah’s CFT course has been proven to be effective among vets and we are incredibly grateful to them for their generosity in allowing us to platform their course for free on our website.

“We know that mental health is complex and multifaceted, and while there is a fair bit of general research into effective interventions for those who may be struggling with their mental health, there isn’t much that has been specifically tailored and tested for those working in the veterinary professions.

“MMI is about impact, and we look forward to seeing just how much of a positive impact this course will have on the mental health of veterinary professionals.”

The course can be accessed here. Those wishing to attend the webinar can sign up on the Mind Matters events page.

Image © Shutterstock

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.