The topics listed below represent existing presentations that can be adapted to any audience but are readily available. If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, please feel free to reach out and let me know what topic or combination of topics would best suit your audience. I will typically need additional time to pull together a custom offering, but I often find these presentations to be the most rewarding as they speak to a very specific need.
Unless otherwise specified, presentations are designed for between 50-60 minutes presentation time. Q&A time is typically unlimited.
For more information, please contact me: ThoughtfulLifeCounseling@gmail.com
Do More than Survive, Thrive!
Survival mode is something we are supposed to activate in an acute crisis. In the veterinary profession we have all lived through one or more crises of varying degrees: a coworker (or two) calling out sick, the phone system going down, a full moon on Friday the 13th, personality clashes, or a personal crisis that makes showing up for work a struggle. These days however, it seems we are all in perpetual survival mode. Unfortunately, the reserves that we call on to manage intermittent crises become depleted then non-existent as time goes by. I discuss what survival mode means from a mental health perspective as well as a practical perspective then describe a methodical way to evaluate, repair, and reinvent self-care and wellbeing despiteongoing pressures and circumstances.
Fatigue in all its Flavors: Ethical or Moral, Decision, Compassion, and Physical Fatigue
Compassion fatigue is a hot topic in the veterinary world, but I feel it falls short in explaining the career fatigue rampant in our profession. Or rather, it may represent a kind of end-stage fatigue. If this is the case, we need to intervene, recognize, and address all the stages and manifestations of fatigue that precede it. This presentation discusses and differentiates between sleep deprivation, ethical or moral fatigue, decision fatigue, and compassion fatigue to round out our understanding of these factors that so impact our mental health. By increasing awareness and providing more nuanced metrics for self-monitoring, fatigue can be addressed more effectively and efficiently.
Personality Traps: Perfectionism, People Pleasing, & The Imposter Phenomenon
Some of the attributes that contributed to our objective success in school and perhaps continue to contribute to our effectiveness in practice have a dark side. Perfectionism and people pleasing tendencies each mean that someone else is receiving the best of us, with little left over to invest in mental health or wellness. The imposter phenomenon amplifies this imbalance by telling us we must perform at maximum capacity or risk being found out as incompetent or unworthy. I unpack each of these personality traps: how to recognize them and understand their current role in our mental landscape. Then we imagine a life without the pressure of each and outline a strategy to work towards that goal.
Anxious in America: Anxiety Management from a Neurobiological Perspective
Anxiety in America is on the rise, which means either directly or indirectly everyone is affected. Anxiety impacts all areas of life, and can steal joy, confidence, and even the ability to think clearly and rationally. Understanding the neurobiology of anxiety can offer insight into how anxiety develops, worsens, how it impacts cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, and most importantly, what we can do to manage it. This presentation provides an overview of the ‘pathophysiology’ of anxiety, how anxiety shows up in our lives and impacts our wellbeing and our interpersonal interactions, and practical strategies to manage anxiety.
The Imposter Phenomenon: Maybe you Are as Smart as Everyone Says you are…
The Imposter Phenomenon prevents high-achieving individuals from being able to internalize their own success. It is associated with depression, anxiety, and burnout. It inhibits professional growth and further hinders the already difficult balance between work and life. I review what is known about the imposter phenomenon and the individual and cultural characteristics that may predispose an individual to developing imposter feelings. I discuss how to combat imposter feelings in oneself and support others to ensure we are all building towards a culture that promotes psychological safety. ***This presentation is particularly relevant for students, interns, residents, and new graduates***
A Match Made in Heaven? Professional Values are Key to Workplace Satisfaction
A person’s values form the bedrock of their identity. A person’s professional values form the bedrock of their professional identity. Living for long periods of time in a manner that is inconsistent with these values can be an enormous source of distress and fatigue. This interactive presentation asks participants to consider the professional values they hold as well as the values of their workplace. Then we explore the ways in which values conflicts arise and strategies for overcoming or managing the conflict.
Overcoming Overwhelm: Moving from Frantic to Focused
Overwhelm occurs when our available resources and our coping strategies are unable to keep up with the emotional, cognitive, and practical demands of our lives. When we reach that point of overwhelm, we often feel a sense of vague threat or danger. While our rational mind may understand this threat is not tangible or imminent, our more primitive fight, flight, or freeze responses may still be activated. The focus of this presentation is on understanding the physiological experience of overwhelm as well as how to address it cognitively, emotionally, and from a practical perspective. Mind Mapping is introduced as an efficient tool for managing overwhelm.
Stress, Burnout, & Anxiety: A Flea Management Analogy for Mental Health
Stress, burnout, and anxiety are all too common experiences in the veterinary profession. They have been made worse by the global pandemic and its resultant changes in the way we practice and in the general tone of client interactions. Using flea management in cats as an intuitive model, I review the pathophysiology of stress, burnout, and anxiety as well as the impact each can have on wellbeing. I discuss how to recognize each as it manifests in both work and home life, as well as a few efficient and effective strategies for managing all three.