Laura Woodward has been a vet for over 20 years. She has worked as a surgeon in universities and private practices in the UK and Australia.
She has also worked in many charities and established VSPCA in Visakhapatnam in India to neuter and vaccinate stray dogs.

Laura is an ACPNL and ISPC affiliated Counsellor specialising in child and adolescent counselling, and adult stress management, anxiety and depression.

Laura is a mindfulness practitioner and runs regular mindful meditation sessions for veterinary surgeons, nurses and managers.

She has presented at London Vet Show, BVOA, ESVOT conferences, VETFestival and more.

She writes a monthly mental health article for Veterinary Practice Magazine.

This is a new and unique service tailored to the needs of our professions. While there are many life coaches available, this is the only UK based counselling service specifically for vets and vet nurses by vets and vet nurses.

All veterinary practices are now obliged to have mental wellbeing and counselling available to their employees.

Any workshops, seminars and one-to-one sessions with us are claimable as CPD and are tax-free for the employer.

Laura has been the surgeon at Linnaeus Village Vet Hampstead for over 10 years.

Who we are

who-we-areLaura is a vet, an accredited counsellor, a mindfulness practitioner and a positive psychologist. She’s also a mother. She is a member of the Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists in London with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

She is also affiliated with the ISPC, International Society of Psychotherapy and Counselling.

What we do

what-we-do
“Mindfulness for vets” and “Cognitive behavioural therapy”. Trendy buzz words? or the tools you and your team need?
For you , as an individual, we will show you how to be the employer, vet or nurse who inspires others. You will be the staff member who is raising the bar and encouraging others to reach for it.

You will learn how to communicate effectively and you will find others responding to you in the same way.
Have you ever wondered how, after saying the same thing numerous times, nothing changes? By changing how you communicate, people will listen, and you will need to say something only once to effect change.

“The two words ‘information’ and ‘communication’ are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through. ” Sydney J. Harris

You will become confident, even when there is a level of worry. You will keep everyone pressing ahead and you will feel calmer.

You will triage your thoughts through mindfulness so that sleepless nights are a thing of the past.

Raising staff morale, dealing with stress, improving self esteem and increasing productivity.

How we do it

how-we-do-it

  • We will meet with you to decide your main areas of concern.
  • We will spend some time in the practice getting to know how it works and meeting the team.
  • We will propose a program of cpd evenings/group workshops/one-to-one counselling sessions which best meets your needs.
  • Once you are happy with the program, we will begin immediately.
  • We will have regular meetings with you to discuss your progress towards your goals.

One-to-one counselling.
Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that when you change the way you think, you can change the way you feel and behave. In other words, if we can learn to think about other people in a more positive and realistic way, it will be far easier to resolve conflicts and develop rewarding personal and professional relationships.

Small group workshops.
In groups of 4 to 8, each workshop is short and deals with one topic  e.g. stress management or communication issues, or charisma development or grievances. Each session generates a task e.g. a particular change in attitude, for all present to be done until the following session.

Larger cpd events.
Usually an hour long, many topics can be discussed at these events. e.g. how to raise staff morale, how colleagues can interact in a positive way, how to turn stress into a buzz, how to welcome the tricky client.

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher” – 14th Dalai Lama