Cultivating Safe Teams AWARE delivers evidence-based psychosocial hazard and wellbeing awareness training specifically designed for veterinary teams.
The interactive session differentiates between two key concepts that are distinctly different: psychological health and safety and psychological safety.
These important but complex terms are simplified into a practical approach that cultivates awareness and enthusiasm in veterinary teams to make work a SAFE place to be, as well as a GREAT place to be.
Program Goals:
- Articulate the definitions of psychological health & safety, workplace culture and ‘safe teams’.
- Provide evidence-based and strength-based examples of a safe team.
- Inspire people to build a safe veterinary team through personal responsibility and accountability.
- Encourage leaders and entire teams to define and commit to cultivating a safe workplace
- As well as sessions held at clinics, we also offer Individual sessions. Here, you can enjoy our CST AWARE training via webinar with veterinary professionals from other clinics.
For more information or to register, complete the form below.
Generously funded by the Zoetis Foundation
Learn more
In 2021 the AVA surveyed over 2,500 veterinary stakeholders to understand the mental health and wellbeing of the veterinary workforce.
- 66.7% of participants said they had experienced a mental health condition at some stage
- almost half of all participants felt their work had a negative impact on their mental health.
The research identified the common risks in veterinary work that compromise psychological health and safety as well as those aspects of work that protect our mental health and make working in the veterinary profession great.
The research also highlighted the importance of bespoke workplace training for the veterinary profession to improve working conditions and prevent harm.
In direct response to these findings, in 2023 and 2024 the AVA delivered a pilot workplace training, Cultivating Safe Teams, to 735 participants in 50 clinics across Australia, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback.
CST Aware aligns with the THRIVE strategic pillars – Prevent, Promote, Protect – as part of our veterinary industry Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework.
- Their legal and personal responsibilities to foster safe workplaces.
- The psychosocial hazards that can be present in any workplace.
- The specific factors that may drive the risk these hazards pose in veterinary workspaces.
- The psychosocial protective factors at work that protect and enhance our mental health.
- The current psychosocial hazards in their team and some initial strategies to address these.
Confidence and Intent to Act
Knowledge Gain
Pilot Program Final Review (June 2025)
Highlighting the impact of the CST program and roadmap for the future:
Download to read the Pilot Program Final Review (June 2025) here.
- A 1-hour face-to-face workshop delivered in your clinic, or
- A live online webinar with your team – ideal for remote or regional practices
The information delivered in face-to-face workshops and online sessions is the same.
For both online and face-to-face sessions please allow 2 hours total. This includes set-up, the one-hour training, and time for questions afterwards.
We recommend a maximum of 50 participants per workplace session.
On registering you will receive access to a participant workbook and be invited to sign an industry pledge stating your commitment to cultivating a safe and mentally healthy workplace.
Cost
Thanks to the generous support of our program funder—Zoetis Foundation, and sponsors Provet, and Vet’s Choice—we’re able to offer workplace training at a subsidised rate of $500 per session.
The $500 fee is inclusive of:
- Pre-training alignment conversation
- 1 hour training session with entire team
- Participant workbook
- Post training Q&A
- Access to bank of regularly updated resources
For face-to-face workshops, there will be a fee to cover facilitator travel costs beyond Melbourne CBD. This amount depends on the training location and will be discussed at the time of booking.
We are also offering regular webinars for individuals throughout the year – perfect for onboarding new team members, preparing leaders ahead of in-clinic training, or supporting solo practitioners and smaller teams. $45 per person
Download the THRIVE CST AWARE brochure here.
THRIVE Cultivating Safe Teams Pilot Program (July 2024)
Program participants share their stories; highlighting the importance of a safe and mentally healthy workplace.
THRIVE Cultivating Safe Teams 2023 Highlights (December 2023)
End of year wrap-up; 11 weeks of training across 19 veterinary workplaces, reaching 268 veterinary professionals.
THRIVE Cultivating Safe Teams Launch Week Highlights (September 2023)
A snapshot tour of the first group of veterinary workplaces to receive the pilot program training.
Pilot Program Final Review (June 2025)
Highlighting the impact of the program and roadmap for the future.
Participating workplaces will need to provide appropriate facilities for training to occur onsite or online, relevant to the number of participants involved within their workplace.
Participating workplaces agree to dedicate up to 2 hours of training leave for team members participating in the program. This includes 1 hour of training, ½ hour question time and ½ hour to review the online resources.
Participants of CST Aware are invited to register their interest in our workplace implementation program, CST ACTION. Currently in pilot phase, you can find out more and register your interest in the post-pilot launch here.
Since 2026, a THRIVE stream is included at the AVA Conference. The stream is designed in line with the THRIVE pillars of “Prevent, Promote, Protect” and invites experts to share evidence-based strategies and research to build safe and great workplaces. Suitable for any members of the veterinary profession including veterinarians, practice managers, nurses, support staff as well as those in non-clinical fields.
You can look into our Chartered Veterinary Practitioner module Wellbeing Science for Veterinarians, as once we know what to do for our own wellbeing, we can start to embed these practices in our teams.
All clinic sessions include a one-hour debrief with an appropriately qualified coach. Suitable for the clinic leader to discuss any sensitive issues raised in the training and provide initial guidiance.
Please visit our Wellbeing Support resources page for more information.
We have many resources available for you at any time, as well as your printable pledge certificate, here: https://mylearning.ava.com.au/login/start.php
Minimum of 3 and maximum of 50 depending on facilities. Please enquire about your specific needs via thrive@ava.com.au
Yes! All participants will be enrolled in the AVA’s My Learning platform to access a workbook, the pledge and additional resources including the THRIVE Mental Health and Suicide Prevention framework, videos and industry guidelines.
If you are a veterinary professional who is working in clinical practice, in industry, an academic setting, or any other veterinary specific working environment, we encourage you to book a session. You do not need to be an AVA member.
We are asking all participants and their workplace to commit to cultivating a safe and mentally healthy working environment by taking the Cultivating Safe Teams Pledge.
The aim is to unite participating workplaces involved in the program and to build on this across the broader profession.
Making a written commitment has been shown to increase the likelihood of change.
Please email the Executive Officer for Wellbeing at thrive@ava.com.au
