Compassion is at the heart of veterinary medicine, but sustaining it can be tough in the face of long hours, high expectations, and emotionally intense work. While many of us focus on compassion for patients and clients, the missing piece is often self-compassion, which is critical for reducing burnout and building resilience.
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Megan Davis, a veterinarian and educator passionate about mental health and human factors, and Dr. Katherine Wakelin, a clinical psychologist specializing in compassion-focused therapy. Together, they introduce a free 14-day Compassion Course for Veterinarians, designed to help professionals counter self-criticism, reduce stress, and develop healthier ways of relating to themselves.
You’ll learn what compassion-focused therapy is, why self-compassion can feel so counterintuitive in our profession, and how small shifts in mindset can make a big difference for wellbeing. Megan and Katherine also share practical tools you can start using right away to manage stress and sustain your capacity to care for others.
Whether you’ve been curious about self-compassion or skeptical of it, this conversation offers science-backed insights and accessible strategies to support a long, meaningful career in veterinary medicine.
Watch the Video Version of this Episode
[Link pending]
Resources
Follow Dr. Megan Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-davis-a5ba7a151/
Take the free online 14-day compassion course for veterinarians: https://vetmindmatters.org/resources/free-online-compassion-course-for-veterinarian-mental-wellbeing/
Being Brilliant Every Single Day (TEDx video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_fFattg8N0
Feasibility and efficacy of an online compassion-focused imagery intervention for veterinarian self-reassurance, self-criticism and perfectionism (article): https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/vetr.2177
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Order Dr. Marie Holowaychuk’s book A Compassionate Calling: What It Really Means To Be a Veterinarian: https://www.routledge.com/A-Compassionate-Calling-What-It-Really-Means-to-Be-a-Veterinarian/Holowaychuk/p/book/9781032389035?utm_source=cjaffiliates&utm_medium=affiliates&cjevent=26e8517167f611f0806101060a1eba24
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