Suicide Prevention Mini Series
Hope Starts with Action: Help Build a Safer Vet Community
If you’re a veterinary professional and wondering whether this course is right for you, the answer is a resounding YES! Suicide prevention within our professional community is a collective responsibility, and through this collective effort and a collaborative approach we can change our cultural norm from one of hesitant help seeking, to one of pro-active help offering.
You’ll join an online classroom of your peers led by VetHerd live on the 2nd and 9th July 2025 at 7:30pm AEST. As well as these two essential and inspiring webinars, included in your registration bundle is access to 90 minutes of online suicide prevention skills training with LivingWorks Start. This is interactive, self-paced and evidence-based training that equips you with foundational skills to recognise when someone might be having thoughts of suicide, and connecting them to further help.
Almost all of us within the veterinary community know – or know of – someone in our local circle who has lost their life to suicide. Every suicide is a tragedy. Will you join the crusade to help keep the amazing professionals you surround yourself with daily safe?
Saving Lives Starts with You: Suicide Prevention Skills for the Whole Veterinary Team
Every member of the veterinary community will benefit from attending this crucial and impactful suicide prevention CPD, as will those around them – this is Vet “Herd” health, after all! There is no prerequisite knowledge so vets, techs, nurses and other members of the veterinary team of all experience levels will derive great value from this training.
Over the course of two empowering weekly online modules delivered by Dr Alena Gadoury and Dr Kat Williams, you’ll learn how and why suicidal thoughts and behaviours emerge; how to identify those at risk; explore stigma surrounding the topic; and debunk myths around suicide. These important topics are unpacked and investigated in an atmosphere that is inclusive, friendly and supportive.
Kat and Alena bring lived experience and cross-disciplinary expertise to suicide prevention. Kat combines her background in small animal practice, a degree in psychological science, and experience in disability and veterinary wellbeing to focus on practical, psychology-based strategies for prevention. Alena draws on her clinical background in both human nursing and veterinary science, along with PhD research specifically on suicide prevention in Australian vets.
We believe in dropping barriers to suicide prevention education, and so are proud to be able to offer this CPD in a format that is both accessible and affordable. As with every VetPrac CPD course, our focus lies on keeping things skills-based and highly relevant to your everyday clinical practice. Studies indicate that the rate of suicide in veterinarians is higher than the general population and other healthcare professionals. Bearing this sobering figure in mind, suicide prevention skills have never been more relevant in our working lives.
The VetHerd team will also cover help seeking vs help offering and explore the issue of liability when it comes to helping someone with suicidal thoughts. The key takeaway from attending this CPD? You’ll be equipped with vital skills that may result in you saving human as well as animal lives.
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Q&A EACH WEEK
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PROFESSIONAL & SUPPORTIVE FORUM
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DOWNLOADABLE NOTES
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JOIN LIVE & ONLINE
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REPLAYS AVAILABLE
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No better time to discover
- How and why suicidal thoughts and behaviours emerge
- What language is helpful when talking about suicide
- If liability is relevant
- What safety networks look like
- Evidence-based prevention approaches
- What further resources are available
- Suicide prevention skills in practice
- Which myths about suicide are exactly that…myths!
Let’s go back over
- Who may be at increased risk of suicide
- Relevant statistics
- What might indicate somebody is thinking about suicide
- What stigma is
- What stigma might look like in context
- Help seeking vs help offering
- Why asking about suicide is important
- How we might communicate when we aren’t ok
Course schedule
Module 1 – Foundations of Suicide Awareness
In this module, participants will deepen their understanding of suicide by exploring who may be at risk and why thoughts of suicide can emerge. The session will unpack the impact of stigma, clarify common myths, and provide guidance on using respectful and supportive language when talking about suicide. You’ll also learn potential warning signs in those who may be struggling. By building awareness and developing practical insight, this module lays the foundation for creating a more informed, compassionate, and responsive veterinary community.
Module 2 – From Awareness to Action: Offering Help with Confidence
This module builds on your foundational knowledge by shifting focus from awareness to action. You’ll learn the vital difference between help seeking and help offering – and why the first move matters. We’ll explore how asking directly about suicide can be a powerful and supportive step, rather than a harmful one. The session also addresses common concerns around liability and equips you with greater confidence and readiness to support someone express suicidal thoughts. Together, we’ll outline what safety and support networks can look like within the veterinary community, reinforcing that no one has to face this alone.
A VETPRAC COURSE WILL PAY FOR ITSELF
INVEST
2 x Wednesday evenings, a compassionate heart & just $97 to help create a safer veterinary community
LEARN
Communication skills to support colleagues and foster a culture of care
RETURN
2 CPD points, greater confidence supporting peers, and a stronger, safer veterinary community
Your educator
Dr Alena Gadoury
Dr Kat Williams
Your Questions Answered
Do I need to attend specific session times?
Not at all. Of course, you can only ask questions and participate in the discussion if you attend live, but it’s not a requirement. Each live session is recorded and uploaded within 24 hours of the live timeslot. Participants have access to recording during the course and for 4 months afterwards.
Are there group discounts available?
Absolutely! Work together, learn together, we say. If 3 or more participants register from the same clinic under the same booking, you’ll receive a 5% discount at checkout when you book on our website. For 4+ registrations, the discount increases to 10%. This isn’t valid with any other promotion.
Can I pay in instalments, or do you offer payment plans?
Yes, we have a payment plans available; scroll up and you will find them!
Will I get CPD points and a CPD certificate?
Of course! Each participant will receive a CPD certificate via email. We do this after you’ve provided feedback and completed the quiz questions at the end of the course.
What kind of learning materials are included?
All live online courses include live and recorded video presentations. Our educators also provide a variety of other resources so you can expect supporting materials like images, diagrams, course notes, slide presentations, journal articles, links to further reading, and more.
How long is course access open?
24/7 access is available for the duration of the course, plus an additional four months from the date of the first session. You can access recordings, references and reading materials via your course library at any point during this period. We’ll remind you to download and review the course materials before the time is up.
What happens if the course is cancelled?
If we cancel a course, we will refund your course fees. It’s a simple as that.