FOR IMMEDIATE HELP:
Veterinary Wellness
Need Help?
WPHP is a support and monitoring program for healthcare providers who have a condition or illness that is impacting their personal and/or professional life. The program seeks to create a safe harbor where healthcare providers can confidentially obtain the help they need. WPHP services include outreach, crisis intervention, informal assessment, treatment monitoring, advocacy, and guidance when a veterinarian needs help. WPHP also provides resources for families and employers.
If you are thinking of harming yourself, PLEASE, PAUSE, even for a moment. Just pause and:
- Call 911.
- Call a suicide prevention line (800) 273-8255 or
(800) 784-2433. - Call your local county crisis line (see website for list of counties and phone numbers).
- Call Washington Physician’s Health Program (WPHP)
(800) 552-7236 or (206) 583-0127. - Talk to your friends or family…tell them you need their help.
- Call a mental health care provider. Give them a chance to help you.
- Call your primary care provider.
- Call WSVMA for resources: (800) 399-7862 or (425) 396-3191.
If you think someone might harm themselves, or take their own life, TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY:
- Call 911 if you think it appropriate. Err on the side of caution.
- Call a suicide prevention line (800) 273-8255 or
(800) 784-2433. - Call your local county crisis line (see website for list of counties and phone numbers).
- Call Washington Physician’s Health Program (WPHP)
(800) 552-7236 or (206) 583-0127. - Dedicate to helping in whatever way you can, without sacrificing your own well-being.
- Call WSVMA for resources: (800) 399-7862 or (425) 396-3191.
NOTE: The information contained in these self help documents is not to be used as a substitute for professional care. Neither the authors nor the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) assume liability for injury incurred by following the information presented in these self-help documents.
Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP)
To facilitate the rehabilitation of veterinarians who have physical or mental conditions that could compromise public safety and to monitor their recovery.
Phone (206) 583-0127 / Toll Free (800) 552-7236 / Website
Washington Health Professional Services (WHPS) for LVTs and VMCs
A confidential program for chemically impaired health professionals, including licensed veterinary technicians and registered veterinary medication clerks. WHPS ensures early entry into recovery for the impaired practitioner while providing maximal protection of the public safety by identifying, assessing, and monitoring healthcare professionals and attracting the professional on a self-referral basis. See Resource
Downloadable informational PowerPoint Presentations
Use these tools to recognize and respond to the six behavioral indicators of impairment.
- WPHP and WSU Presents: “Veterinary Impairment, Recovery, and the Role of WPHP.”
- WPHP and Wm J Farley Center Presents: Indicators of Potential Impairment
Coaching/Consulting/Counseling/Development
Dr. Carrie La Jeunesse, DVM, CT, CFE is accepting a limited number of discounted 50-minute coaching, consulting, counseling, and personal/professional support sessions tailored to individual WSVMA members. Discounted fees are on a sliding scale of $65 to $95/hour. Individuals may choose the fee that best fits their current personal financial circumstances; that fee will be honored through June of 2021. Contact Dr. La Jeunesse through her website for a 10-minute gratis call to assess if it’s the right fit for you. Please include “WSVMA-COVID” in your request.
If you or someone you know is thinking of committing suicide, click here.
Resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- National Hopeline Network 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
- King County Crisis Clinic 24-hour crisis line 866-4-CRISIS (1-866-427.4747) or 206-461-3222
- National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) Suicide Prevention
- Washington Suicide & Crisis Hotlines
Banfield releases suicide-prevention training as a free resource
On January 6, 2020, Banfield Pet Hospital made its suicide-prevention training – “ASK – Assess, Support, Know” – available as a free resource to the veterinary profession. The first of its kind, Banfield designed “ASK” specifically for veterinary professionals to help them recognize and address emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. See Resource
Suicide: Conspiracy of Silence
by Carrie La Jeunesse, DVM, CT, CCFE. See Resource
Veterinarians’ Risk for Addictive Illness and Suicide
Report from Washington Physicians Health Program. See Resource
Physician Depression and Suicide
Article from Washington Physicians Health Program. See Resource
What are the signs and symptoms of depression?
The National Institute of Mental Health offers resources on depression, treatment options and where to go for help. See Resource
What Can We Do About Suicide?
Veterinary Team Brief. See Resource
Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP)
To facilitate the rehabilitation of healthcare practitioners who have physical or mental conditions that could compromise public safety and to monitor their recovery.
Washington Physicians Health Program (WPHP)
Resource Page.
SAVMA “It’s OK” video series
These videos were created to encourage veterinary professionals to share their struggles
VetLife
Provides free and confidential support to the veterinary community through a helpline, a health support program and a fund for financial support
Wellness and Peer Assistance AVMA
WSU College of Veterinary Medicine Counseling & Wellness Services
Wellness resources for issues surrounding doctors and students.
Everyday Health.com
Find health resources and personalized health tools.
WebMD
The leading source for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information.
My Family Health Portrait
Helps document family health history to track diseases that may be hereditary.
This Emotional Life
A multi-year campaign to foster awareness, connections and solutions around emotional wellness.
American Heart Association
Go Red for Women Campaign
2 minute video from Mayo Clinic
Learn the new CPR method that may help you save someone’s life.
Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, by Rachel Remen, MD
The Five Things We Cannot Change and the Happiness We Find in Embracing Them, by David Richo
Healing and preventing burnout by creating conditions for health
Deborah Gross, MD
Are You at Risk for Compassion Fatigue?
Veterinary Team Brief
Heat-Stress-Training-2015
Washington State University
How Can I tell if a Provider is Chemically Impaired?
Charles Meredith, MD, Washington Physicians Health Program
And Then, the Silence Was Fatal!
Mandatory Reporting for Healthcare Practitioners – Mick Oreskovich, MD
German study: Widespread Stress Found Among Veterinarians
A Disturbing Trend: Veterinary Cyber Bullying
Suzanne Smither, Veterinary Team Brief, April 2014
Cyberbullying – and How to Handle It
AVMA
Fighting the cyberbully: How harassment can affect your practice
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), Nov 15, 2015
I’m Being Cyber-Bullied
Andy Roark, DVM, MS
Compassion Fatigue: Healing the Healer
Would you recognize a stroke?
If someone experienced a sudden stroke, would you recognize it and know what to do? Make a commitment to learn the stroke warning signs and where stroke hospitals exist in your area.
Addiction in the Practice: Is it time to do something about it?
AAHA Trends Magazine, April 2013
Is There Hope? Exclusive addiction survey results from AAHA
AAHA Trends Magazine, May 2013
Workplace Violence: Issues in Response
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Violence in Veterinary Practices
I had a Black Dog, His Name Was Depression
Created by the World Health Organization, this video is a creative and engaging effort to demystify and destigmatize depression that also includes easy to adopt self-care tips, as well as recommendations for gaining support.
NOTE: The information contained in these self help documents is not to be used as a substitute for professional care. Neither the authors nor the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) assume liability for injury incurred by following the information presented in these self-help documents.