Supporting PhD Researcher Wellbeing: What Can Supervisors Do?

Delivered by Hugh Kearns (University of Flinders & ithinkwell)

Overview

Is there something about doing a research degree that increases the chances of mental health issues? Of course, some candidates bring mental health issues into their research degree with them but are the ways we structure it (or don’t structure it) and support them (or don’t support them) also factors.

It’s always easy to blame the PhD Researcher but perhaps we’re doing things as PhD Supervisors (often unwittingly) to make it worse? In my role I work with thousands of research students all over the world. They often confide in me about the struggles and strains of the experience. They tell me things they would never tell their supervisor or anyone in authority at their university. And some themes do emerge.

In this session I will describe some of these themes and then discuss how supervisors can assist in enabling mental health and wellbeing for PhD Researchers.

Intended Audience

All PhD Supervisors at Ulster University.

Duration

Two hours

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this interactive workshop, participants will:

• Understand the context of supporting wellbeing during a PhD
• Discuss emerging themes around mental health and wellbeing during a PhD
• Explore and understand ways of supporting PhD Researchers

Resources

Presentation slides and other relevant resources will be provided after the workshop.