Supporting Students

All staff have a responsibility to support students with their wellbeing and welfare. 

Supervisors should be first and foremost academic supervisors. Whilst it is important to maintain boundaries with students it is equally important to be able to recognise and understand when a student may be struggling with their physical or mental health.

Due to the relationship between supervisors and students it may be that students feel comfortable talking to their supervisors when they experience difficulties in their personal life. This is important in that it allows us to monitor progress, take note of extenuating circumstances and make sure that students have the correct support within the University and externally. 

If you are concerned about a student please do offer them the opportunity to share with you or sign post them to the appropriate service. 

Tips

1. Encourage students to be proactive

Encourage students to proactively consider their wellbeing early on in their PhD. It’s better to build a self-supportive routine in the early stages to avoid or minimise difficulty later.

2.  Listen

The urge to suggest solutions is normal but it’s also fine to just listen, ask prompting questions that encourage further reflection or elaboration, and take time before responding.

Your student will be the expert in their unique situation. Listening with curiosity and reflecting on your understanding of their story can be helpful in clarifying the issue for both parties. Often, being given the opportunity to feel genuinely heard can be supportive and cathartic for the other person.

3. Confidentiality

You should not guarantee a student confidentiality. 

Whilst there is always an urge to assure someone who is upset that the information they share will not be shared more widely this is not something you should promise to a student. 

If a student discloses something serious that may put themselves or others at risk this should be shared with the correct people. 

You never know what a student is going to tell you they might start with something small which can then escalate into something more serious.

With that being said information should not be shared unnecessarily so think about who needs to know. 

If you are ever unsure information can be shared confidentially with the PGR Student Support Officer or/and Student Welfare and Wellbeing.

4. Identify the sources of their difficulty

Difficult experiences are usually a jumble of interconnected issues which could include personal, academic, and financial worries, cultural differences, familial pressures etc.

Helping them to separate out these concerns (writing them down) can provide a useful starting point for understanding what the problems are and how they can be managed or supported.

• Ask them what factors are inside their control, and what is outside their control, and how they think they could resolve the issues.

• Asking “what do you think you need” can be a powerful question to start the process of support.

5. Address uncertainty

Support your tutee to reflect on what’s happening and what their specific concerns are may help them to challenge unhelpful or unrealistic stories they may hold about what things ‘should’ be like or what they worry ‘might’ happen.

Reducing uncertainty by identifying concerns clearly and accurately helps to ground worries in reality, and can be helpful in deciding the next steps to take.

6. Encourage them to plan

Recommend planning of realistic goals in conjunction with opportunities for self-care. This could be through using a timetable, task managing app or calendar.

Consider if they could benefit from a LOA or a TLE.

Encouraging them to attend to their core wellbeing is a useful starting point in helping to manage anxiety. These basic wellbeing fundamentals include planning regular and consistent:

• Sleep

• Diet and hydration (limiting caffeine)

• Exercise

• Social contact

• Relaxation

The Student Wellbeing Service can support students to make positive changes, identify and challenge unhelpful tendencies, and put these fundamental factors in place.

Mick Berry is the Wellbeing advisor for the Faculty of Engineering

7. Delegate and Signpost

Signposting the student to the correct service and managing their expectations is important. 

You alone should not hold the responsibility. Sharing information shares the risk, responsibility and makes sure that the student is getting the support they need.

If you are unsure, get in touch with the PGR Student Support Office who will be able to give you information on where is best to help the student or get in touch with the student directly.

If it is an emergency:

And the person needing support is off campus: 

Call the Police/Ambulance on 999

And the person needing help is on campus:

Call Security Services on 0114 222 4444

8. Check in with yourself

Supporting others can take it out of you or can trigger your own struggles. Make sure that you are looking after yourself as well. 

Take a look at the Staff Wellbeing Hub for more information.