It’s not a secret that doing a PhD is challenging and that many PhD students struggle with mental health problems. Yet, most of us prefer not to talk about struggles or our insecurities at work, out of fear or shame and because not many others do. To facilitate a conversation about PhD students’ well-being, Lara Solms, Luisa Solms, and Tajda Laure developed the PhD Coach Kit, a card game consisting of 80 coaching questions. The questions are designed to help PhD students reflect on and talk about their PhD experience and target 10 different topics (e.g., stress, procrastination, supervision, career planning). The card kit can be used individually or in groups and can be purchased via coachboeken.nl/product/the-phd-coach-kit/. During the webinar, the founders will introduce the coach kit and there will be the opportunity to try it out!
Lara Solms works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam. Her PhD project focused on the effectiveness of coaching for medical professionals and the psychological mechanisms that underlie positive coaching outcomes. Lara’s current research focuses on how the coaching process works. Lara is also actively involved in valorization activities. She is member of the scientific committee of the Nederlandse Orde van Beroepscoaches (NOBCO), editorial member of Tijdschrift voor Coaching, and has co-founded the podcast PhD Unplugged to help promote PhD student well-being.
Luisa Solms is a final-year PhD candidate at the Department of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. The well-being and personal development of PhD candidates are central themes in her research. Which factors determine PhD candidates’ welll-being? What resources help PhD candidates to navigate their PhD? What are effective interventions that can promote PhD candidates well-being? Together with her sister, she co-created the podcast PhD Unplugged as a means to offer accessible and easy-to-use support to PhD candidates.