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TU Delft Graduate SchoolGS Psychologist,Paula C.M. MeestersP

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Role of the GS Psychologist

Gives support where personal circumstances and psychological problems of the PhD-candidate,

or communication issues and cultural differences in the working relationship with Supervisor teams or Mentors

intervene with finishing the PhD process on time and with reasonable success.

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Tasks of the GS Psychologist

• PhD candidatesIndividual or group treatmentCrisis interventionDE courses and PhD startup

• Promotors, supervisors and mentorsconsultation workshopsmasterclasses

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Statistics

• About 50% of the doctoral candidates (2500) knows about this support service.• 16% has consulted the GS psychologist.

• Individual treatment in 2013 79 individual clients 50% more clients compared with 2012In average 3,8 session (of 1 hr.) per client 21 nationalities

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Individual support doctoral candidates

Reasons to ask for support (top 5)

•In need of emotional support about difficult personal/ familial circumstances •(Re)building their self-esteem•Restore the balance of concentration and energy•Cope with anxiety about the go-no go meeting, the PhD process, conflicts with promotor or supervisor, or future-anxiety.•Cope with social anxiety, isolation, lack of social and communication skills, cultural differences.

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Doctoral Education (DE) Courses

• Communication & Coping Strategies – together with Saskia de Vries, trainer, Closer2thejob

• Self-Management Strategies

• Self-Awareness & Autonomy

• How to motivate yourself after the Go? Regain your Flow! - together with Monique Draijer, GS career counsellor

• Mini-workshop within PhD Start Up

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Support for Promotors, Supervisors and Mentors

• Consultation • Crisis management• Lunch-Workshops ‘How to touch on a problem’ • Masterclasses ‘How to touch on a problem: to signal, to

communicate, and to refer’• Workshop ‘Building an effective go-no go meeting’

• Specific workshop for mentors (FGS)‘Building effective mentor-mentee relationships’

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Future

•Workshop for mentors more known in FGS(now EWI, TBM, 3mE)

•More group treatment for PhD students Coping with anxiety (fear of failure),

Changing behaviour, like procrastination and stressing,

Building self-esteem and autonomy

•Working more closely together with HR advisors, Confidential advisors, Company Doctor•How about post-docs? They contact us more and more.