Vets4Vets® is a confidential peer support group offered at no cost through the VIN Foundation and providing tangible support for colleagues in need. The Vets4Vets® support team members are volunteers- some are retired, some active associates, some are hospital owners. Our Vets4Vets® team members are here to provide peer support based upon our experiences in the veterinary profession. We come from
all areas of the profession, and make ourselves available to work with folks that have all kinds of issues.
*vet students that are having a hard time fitting in or getting through school
*new grads having a rough time with a new job (interpersonal issues, figuring out how to work with a challenging boss, colleague, work-political situation, or other uncomfortable match situations)
*interns that matched into a difficult situation
*associates that are having difficulties with bosses/ support staff/ family challenges
*colleagues dealing with compassion fatigue/ burn out/emotional distress
*anyone struggling with addiction, recovery, or self-harm..well...pretty much anything and everything that we Veterinarians go through! The majority of our Vets4Vets® members participate in our Mentor Matching program- we can usually find a mentor match for folks in any stage of their career. The best way to get matched is to visit our online appointment booking: https://vinfoundation.org/v4vappt or send an email to [email protected] or call (530) 794-8094. I'll use the info to find a match for you so you will have someone to run cases with, discuss challenges with, etc. In addition to mentor-matching, we have a Venting with Ventis session on VIN every Tuesday evening. You can access this meeting by going through the Rounds board into the Unity room. The meeting is only open to VIN members, the conversations 'disappear' after the Tuesday night meetings. Occasionally we will post helpful thoughts and other information that arises from the meetings onto the general VIN boards so that everyone may benefit from the Venting session. We also have a very confidential group for veterinarians recovering from any form of addiction, to which you are very welcome. We call the group Vets in Recovery...we have a private message board on the VIN site, as well as weekly phone meetings...it's a truly wonderful, welcoming, and supportive group. We have members from (literally!) all over the globe. BRIDGE and FULCRUM are confidential online peer support groups for graduate veterinarians with health issues (mental or physical) that affect their ability to work. TUNNEL is a confidential online peer support group for currently enrolled veterinary students with mental or physical health issues. CancerVets is s confidential support group for veterinarians who have received a diagnosis of cancer, at any stage of their career. Finally, we offer a Vets4Vets® Online Meeting, this weekly group provides a safe space for veterinarians to discuss personal and professional challenges with peers. Susan Cohen, DSW, ACSW facilitates the weekly discussions, allowing those present to find solutions with the help of other group members. The group is for support only and is not a substitute for professional psychotherapy.
