Announcing a year-long commitment to learning and education in mental health and professional wellbeing

May 5 marks the start of Mental Health Week in Canada, and our continued commitment to support our colleagues’ mental health and professional wellbeing through Aleks’ Promise.

2025/2026 brings new opportunities to better support the mental health and professional wellbeing of our practice teams and the leaders supporting them. We are excited to share that we’ve partnered with two Veterinary Social Workers to launch a year-long series of webinars focused on the most urgent and topical subjects when it comes to mental health at work.

About Angie Arora, MSW, RSW

Angie Arora, founder of Arora Wellness, specializes in supporting high stress and high trauma exposed animal care organizations to improve professional quality of life. As a Veterinary Social Worker and Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist, Angie provides trauma-informed therapeutic coaching, training and courses to help veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, and wildlife and conservation organizations move out of states from surviving to thriving. She was on the inaugural board of the International Association for Veterinary Social Work, is a member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Professional Wellness Committee and remains actively involved in other relevant veterinary medicine initiatives including the Canadian Collective for Equity in Veterinary Medicine, and Blend Vet – the first of its kind DEIB training for veterinary medicine. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work with the Toronto Metropolitan University, Master of Social Work with York University, Emotional CPR certification with the National Empowerment Centre, Compassion Fatigue Specialist certification with the Traumatology Institute and International Coaching Federation training with the Mind Rebel Academy.

About Dr. Karine Maillette, DVM, MSW

A veterinary surgeon for 20 years, Veterinary Social Worker Dr. Karine Maillette combines expertise in veterinary medicine and social work to promote an integrated approach to animal and human well-being.

She is member of the Order of Social Workers, Family and Marriage Therapists of Québec (OTSTCFQ), and the Ordre des médecins vétérinaires du Québec (OMVQ).

Passionate about the importance of human-animal relations, she is also co-chair of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) WIDEA Committee and a member of the International Association of Veterinary Social Work (IAVSW). Karine stands out for her dedication to translating scientific evidence into compassionate, practical interventions to support and enrich veterinary practice, always improving the quality of life for people and animals.