Dr. Philip Richmond on advocating to remove the stigma around alcohol and substance use disorder and improve wellbeing in the veterinary profession

Dr. Philip Richmond vulnerably shares his journey with alcohol substance abuse, and how he takes lessons learned to help colleagues through vital peer support. He shares the importance of clear communication, the needed ongoing effort to work on ourselves, assuming good intent, and the power of positive emotions. This episode digs deep with heart touching stories and an empathic approaches to well being in the veterinary profession. As Philip shares in the podcast one of his favorite quotes: “Be curious, not judgemental” - Walt Whitman

*Trigger warning* hey all, a quick heads up that some of the content in today’s episode may include a trigger as it relates to alcohol and substance abuse disorder, childhood trauma, and suicidal ideations. As a reminder, the VIN Foundation’s confidential support group Vets4Vets® is here for you and you can find information to reach out in the episode notes. please know, you are not alone.

GUEST BIO:

Philip Richmond, DVM, CAPP, CPHSA, CPPC, CCFP

Dr. Richmond is the Chief Medical & Wellbeing Officer for Veterinary United and the Founder of Flourishing Phoenix Veterinary Consultants. He is an advocate for positive culture and individual, team and organizational psychological health, safety, and wellbeing in veterinary workplaces.

Dr. Richmond both leads and is involved in state, national and international projects for the advancement of workplace wellbeing and culture in veterinary medicine. He currently serves as the chair for both the Florida Veterinary Medical Association’s Outreach and Professional Wellbeing Committees and is a member/advisor for several national committees and boards for workplace suicide prevention and veterinary wellbeing, including those sponsored by the CDC/NIOSH, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, AAHA, Fear Free, MentorVet and Appalachian State University.

Dr. Richmond is a speaker and published writer, a frequent veterinary podcast guest, and holds multiple certifications in the fields of applied positive psychology, appreciative inquiry, workplace wellbeing, psychological health & safety, trauma-informed workplaces, resilience training, behavior change, and suicide prevention. He was awarded the FVMA Gold Star for service in 2019 and FVMA Veterinarian of the Year in 2021.

LINKS AND INFORMATION:

• About Dr. Philip Richmond: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drphilrichmond/
• VIN Foundation Vets4Vets®: https://vinfoundation.org/v4v
• Veterinary Hope Foundation: https://veterinaryhope.org/
• Adverse Childhood Events: https://numberstory.org/
• Instead of what’s wrong with you, what happened to you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNIJBT5q0nI
• VIN Foundation get updates: https://vinfoundation.org/updates/

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