The Vet Nurse Perspective: Can Counselling Really Help Me?

In my years of working alongside vet nurses, certain themes come up again and again. We love what we do - but we so often feel undervalued, underutilised, underappreciated, and underpaid. We pour ourselves into this job, and so much of what we give goes unseen.

This isn't just a feeling. Research and lived experience back it up:

• Anonymous (2024), The Guardian: "I earned more as a bin worker than a veterinary nurse"
• Jeffrey and Taylor (2022), PMC: Wellbeing and workforce challenges in veterinary nursing

I am a champion of vet nurses. My entire career has been shaped by a belief in our value. But I have also lived through the lows this job can bring. I have struggled with self-forgiveness, felt certain that no one could truly understand me, and convinced myself I was somehow defective. For a long time, I fought those battles alone.

It doesn't have to be that way.

There are people who genuinely get it, who will listen without judgement and help you make sense of the fear, anxiety, sadness, and isolation that can come with this work. Not people who tell you to "just have a bath," or "stop taking yourself so seriously," or suggest that a funny TV programme will fix everything. People who have real insight into the veterinary world, who understand how hard the job is, and who have come out the other side.

Is counselling for me?

Have you ever caught yourself thinking any of these things?

• Why does no one see how hard I work?
• Does anyone even notice I should have left an hour ago?
• I can't go home. If I do, I'll be letting everyone else down
• I haven't had a proper lunch break all week
• How am I supposed to study and work at the same time?
• Shift work is destroying me
• I must be the worst nurse in the world
• What is wrong with me? Everyone else seems fine

If any of those sound familiar: I hear you. I became a counsellor because I never wanted anyone else to spend as many years feeling the way I once did.

Something you can try right now

When things feel like they're spiralling, the STOPP technique can help bring you back to yourself:

S — Stop. Pause before you act or react.

T — Take a breath. Notice the rhythm of your breathing: in and out.

O — Observe. What am I thinking or feeling right now? Is this a fact, or is it an opinion?

P — Pull back. Imagine hovering above the situation like a helicopter. What would you see from that wider view?

P — Practise what works. What genuinely helps you feel calmer? What would be the wisest decision to make right now?

About me

My name is Charlotte. I have been a vet nurse for 26 years and still work in practice at weekends. Since qualifying as a BACP-registered counsellor in 2023, I have worked with adults offering integrative counselling online and in person. I specialise in anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and addiction, and I am trained in acute trauma and grief.

If anything in this article has resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you. You can find me in the Vetamorphosis Therapist Directory a not-for-profit service connecting veterinary professionals with therapists who have real, lived insight into veterinary life. Because you there is support available from someone who truly understands.