MMI to house free evidence-based compassion focused therapy course

Our Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has announced that it is now housing a new evidence-based compassion focused therapy (CFT) course, which is available for veterinary professionals to access for free via the MMI website.

The course has been made available thanks to former Mind Matters Sarah Brown research grant recipients Dr Katherine Wakelin and Sarah Corthorne from the University of Surrey, who used the grant to conduct a randomised control trial to investigate the effectiveness of an online CFT intervention in improving the mental wellbeing of veterinary professionals.

Following the success of their research intervention, Katherine and Sarah have now decided to make their online CFT course freely available to those working in the veterinary professions, so that as many people can benefit from it as possible.

Katherine and Sarah will also be hosting a webinar from 7pm – 8pm on Tuesday 3 September to discuss the importance of self-compassion, provide an overview of their research, as well as information on the course itself.

Dr Katherine 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.

“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."

“Even though our research was conducted on veterinary surgeons, we hope that the course will be useful to all those working in the veterinary team as the content can be applied in a number of contexts.

“Our webinar will explain more about our research, as well as some of the science behind the effectiveness of the course in a veterinary context. So, if you are interested in learning more about how CFT may be able to help you and your team, both in a personal and professional capacity, please do come along.”

Mind Matters Initiative Lead, Rapinder Newton, said: “At MMI, we are focussed on being able to create impactful change within the sector, so that it can continue to evolve in a productive and healthy manner.

“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.”

In order to access the online compassion course, individuals are invited to complete a short questionnaire before and after watching one video (10-15 minutes long) each day for 14 days. The aim of the video intervention is to develop self-compassion skills and reduce self-criticism. This will also allow Katherine and Sarah to evaluate the ongoing impact that the videos are having on those working in the sector.

The course can be accessed on the MMI website.

If you are interested in attending the webinar, please visit the Mind Matters events page for more information and to sign up for free.