Veterinary professionals are often trained to care for everyone except themselves. But what if they had the tools to recognize and respond to mental health challenges within their own teams? Dr. Sonja Olson, DVM, C-MMT, and Susan Swendsen, MSSW, LCSW, VSW from Full Circle Lab join Crystal to explore how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is reshaping the conversation around well-being in veterinary medicine.
Susan shares how MHFA began in Australia in 2000 with founders Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm, grew to 29 countries, and aims to train one in every fifteen people worldwide. Introduced in the U.S. in 2008, the program equips everyday people with the confidence to recognize early signs of mental distress and connect others to the help they need before a crisis occurs.
The group talks about how MHFA differs from therapy. It’s a peer-support model designed to help colleagues feel prepared to respond when someone is struggling. Sonja breaks down the ALGEE action plan: Assess for risk of suicide or harm, Listen non-judgmentally, Give reassurance and information, Encourage appropriate professional help, and Encourage self-help. She explains how this structured, step-by-step approach resonates with the way veterinary professionals think and problem-solve.
The conversation highlights the power of early intervention, the importance of reducing stigma, and how empathy can protect against secondary traumatic stress. The team also shares practical ways for veterinary clinics to bring MHFA training into their workplaces through the National Council for Behavioral Health and how learning these skills together can strengthen connection, compassion, and care across the profession.
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Mentioned:
Mental Health First Aid
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Full Circle Lab
Crystal Stokes on LinkedIn
