Adam puts listening at the heart of VetPartners' mental health support
For VetPartners’ new wellbeing lead Adam Laidler, meaningful mental health support starts with listening to people, understanding their experiences and learning what they need.
Having joined VetPartners with a passion for helping colleagues to feel supported, Adam has already been getting out and about, visiting practices and meeting the people whose experiences will help shape his work....
AS a qualified psychotherapist, Adam Laidler will be leading mental health training across VetPartners, including for senior leaders and practice wellbeing champions. He will also work with colleagues across the business to help embed the right support, resources and processes to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.
But for Adam, the role is about much more than delivering training.
“I’m passionate about helping people feel supported at work and creating environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive,” he says.
“This role brings those two things together and gives me the opportunity to make a real difference across VetPartners.
“I’m keen to listen to the people working in practice, understand what they need and provide practical, pragmatic support that makes a difference.”
Adam believes that meaningful mental health support starts with understanding the people and the environments they work in.
That is why one of his priorities is spending time in practices, hearing directly from colleagues about their experiences, the challenges they face and what would make a genuine difference to them.
“The pressures people are facing today are constantly changing – from the cost of living to wider uncertainty in the world,” he says. “So the support we needed five years ago isn’t necessarily the support we need now.”
His approach is shaped not only by his professional experience, but also by his own journey.
Before moving into psychotherapy, Adam set up an HR and recruitment business, where he particularly enjoyed coaching people and helping them into new employment. But after being defrauded by a member of his team, while also going through the breakdown of his marriage, Adam experienced a period of anxiety and poor mental health.
Seeking support through therapy became an important turning point for him – and ultimately inspired a career change.
Around 12 years ago, Adam moved into the mental health profession. He went on to qualify as a psychotherapist, developing a career centred around helping people navigate difficult periods and make positive changes in their lives. More recently, he has also received a personal diagnosis of ADHD, an experience which has given him another perspective on the different ways people can experience work, life and wellbeing.
Now, Adam is bringing that experience to VetPartners and its 13,000 colleagues across more than 800 veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses in the UK and Europe, as well as the central support team in York.
He says creating a mentally healthy workplace isn't about having all the answers. It is about creating an environment where people feel able to talk, ask for help and know where to turn when they need support.
And while he has a clear idea of what he hopes to achieve, he says he is equally interested in learning from colleagues.
“I want to hear people’s lived experiences,” he says. “The more we understand about what colleagues are experiencing, the better we can shape the support we provide.
“Ultimately, I want people to feel that they are supported and that their wellbeing matters. If we can create workplaces where people feel able to be themselves, talk openly and get the right support when they need it, then we are creating an environment where people can thrive.”
Article by Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director.
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