MMI Campfire Chat: Managing anxiety 101

The Mind Matters Campfire chats are back for a fifth series! Join the Mind Matters team and a range of fantastic guests for an informal delve into themes and topics that matter to the veterinary community. Open to all within the veterinary professions, these free online panel sessions offer a chance to pause, reflect and learn from each other’s experiences of navigating life, work, learning and mental health.

Managing anxiety 101

In this MMI Campfire Chat...

Through our daily lives, many of us may feel anxious, tense or unease around various experiences, interactions and events. Anxiety is normal and affects everyone differently, it can help many of us to focus and protect ourselves from harm in challenging situations, however if it lasts a long time, it can have a profound impact on us both mentally and physically. Join us and our brilliant panellists for an informal, open and honest conversation, as we explore anxiety, and how we might manage its impact on our functioning as human beings. We encourage you to submit questions in advance, and we will choose a selection of these to answer on the night.

Panel Guests

Campfire Session Chair:

Dr Kate Richards MRCVS, Chair of Mind Matters Taskforce
Kate Richards qualified from Edinburgh. A farm vet for 15 years, she was partner in a 15-vet practice. She joined a major pharmaceutical company to gain further experience of business management, marketing and sales, working with practices across the UK. Read more

Panel Members:

Dr Jo Daniels, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Bath
Jo is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer, specialising in workforce wellbeing and anxiety in medical settings. Trained at the University of Manchester, she joined the University of Bath in 2012. During the pandemic, her mental health research reached 2 billion globally, engaging global media including The New York Times and BBC World Service. Her research has led to development of a psychological model of care and policy influence at NHS and Government level. Seconded to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in 2020, she focused on staff wellbeing and retention. Dr Daniels will shortly join the Department for Health and Social Care for a Policy Fellowship on Workforce Wellbeing.

Robyn Lowe RVN, Director of Veterinary Voices
Robyn is a small animal Registered Advanced Veterinary Nurse (RVN) who regularly writes articles for academic journals and publications for animal owners. Robyn has a passion for evidence-based medicine, has volunteered for Canine Arthritis Management to write owner literature, is Director of Veterinary Voices UK, runs the Veterinary Voices Public Page, and campaigns on mental health and animal welfare issues. To this end she also sits on the Board of Trustees of Vetlife, the first RVN to do so in the charity's history. Robyn is co-founder of the Veterinary Voices Hiking Group that aims to support veterinary professionals in getting outside, making new friendships and connections and easing loneliness.

Dr Niall Connell FRCVS
Niall qualified Glasgow in 1982. Two years in mixed practice in Fife, he worked for PDSA in London then Glasgow for 27 years, Niall was Senior Vet at East Glasgow. Niall suffers from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. Retired from clinical practice, he is a part time assessor at Glasgow Vet school. Niall was RCVS President 2019/20, chairing the RCVS Covid -19 Taskforce. He chaired RCVS Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and was also RCVS Treasurer. A trustee of Scottish SPCA and vice-chair of the RCVS Fellowship Board, Niall is keen to promote wellbeing, mentoring and diversity in our professions.

How to register 

Please register to attend on Eventbrite. 

Register here 

Contact us

Should you have any questions, please email the RCVS Events Team.