Using a creative tool to ‘open the can of worms’ – Discussing psychological wellbeing in doctoral supervision.

By Sally Ohlsen, Research Associate in the Mental Health Research Unit, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) within the University of Sheffield.

Discussing psychological wellbeing in doctoral supervision has been referred to as similar to, ‘opening a can of worms’, where supervisors are unsure if they have the knowledge, skill set or ability to deal with the students’ responses. This can lead to supervisors avoiding asking questions relating to their doctoral students mental health. 

With declining student mental health making headlines over recent years, it is important that supervisors feel able to discuss their students’ psychological wellbeing as part of the supervision process. This blog introduces a ‘tool’ which originated as a research tool in our study, but that we recommend can have another use, as a discussion tool to help supervisors explore how of their doctoral researchers are doing, within regular supervision meetings. 

How it worked in the research 

During our ‘Are you OK?’ project, we interviewed a group of experienced doctoral supervisors about their perspectives of the psychological ups and down experienced by their supervisees during the doctoral journey. To do this we used an interactive tool (download a version below) during the interview process where the supervisors were ask to visually map the typical doctoral journey through a psychological wellbeing lens. 

The supervisors reflected on their previous experience supervising doctoral researchers and drew out how a typical doctoral journey may impact on the students’ wellbeing both positively and negatively, at key points. Many of the supervisors highlighted distinct academic milestones such as upgrade or confirmation review points, data collection challenges and field work, writing up and the viva as having had a big impact on their students’ wellbeing. Also, over the course of the research key life events occurred which also impacted on the student’s ability to cope and make progress. Supervisors were of course less able to predict the life events, but they listed many such as financial difficulties, children, family death and illness, and job pressures as having significant impact on students psychological wellbeing. 

Many things could help with bring positive feelings of wellbeing, most notable a good connection to others, the supervisor, and learning communities. To learn more about this, please read the post by ‘Are You Ok?’ team member Dely L Elliot.

How this could be used in doctoral supervision 

Raising the topics of mental health and wellbeing in academic supervision can be a difficult conversation for both parties. In our research supervisors listed a range of concerns around discussing psychological wellbeing, ‘will I ask the right questions?’ for example. Some were unsure if they ‘had the right skill set’  to deal with any potential issues raised, some felt they ‘lacked training to even have these conversations’. Some supervisors said they ‘avoided the conversation’ due to these concerns. 

The tool we developed appeared to support their engagement with the topic, and give them a ‘route in’ to these important discussions, as well as being a significant part of our data collection. The research team have since reflected on whether this tool (untested for this purpose, but offered to you here if you might find it useful) could have a similar effect if used regularly and proactively by supervisors with their postgraduate researchers, to enable conversations during supervision meetings. Using the mapping activity as part of annual review, or even just keeping it simple and asking about the emotional highs and lows of the past month, as part of regular supervision, may enable both parties to engage in a discussion around any challenges or difficulties faced and acknowledge the impact of those on wellbeing. These proactive and preventative discussions, however you choose to go about them, can also support sense-making between you, by taking a look back at the journey you have been on together so far.

Getting the conversation started

The mapping activity can be used as a controlled way to introduce a student to considering how their research may impact on their wellbeing or stress levels, and is open enough to allow them to lead, bringing in elements from their personal life and their research as they choose and feel comfortable with. It is important to highlight that there is no right or wrong way to do this, psychological wellbeing is individual to each person. Also, the maps created to inform your discussion are confidential (as are the conversations) and should be kept by the student for their own reflection rather than remain with the supervisor.

To use the tool: Think about how the past year of your research has impacted on your happiness, your, stress levels and how it has affected your emotional life and wellbeing. Consider both the positive impacts and the negative impacts. Try drawing a continuous line, mapping where you think the ups and downs were for you. Disclosing only what you choose to, think about your academic life as part of your and your whole life as a person, and identify any impacts of your research on your home, family, personal or social life.

A student may disclose here that they are feeling very stressed or experiencing poor mental health. And this blog post by ‘Are you OK?’ team member Kay Guccione, takes a look at how you can respond positively.

Great expectations

The tool could also be used within supervision to manage expectations, to explore both the supervisor’s and supervisee’s expectations of the journey behind and ahead, and to anticipate and mitigate any psychological impact moving forwards, by identifying support sources.

To use the tool: once you have mapped out the previous year/month as you prefer, use questions that support you both to gain understanding of how to help. For example

• ‘I see you have suggested at this point in your journey your wellbeing was quite low, what support might have helped at this point? Who is best to offer you this support? Where can we find this support?’
• ‘I can see here you have mapped a particular high point, what support do you need to do this achieve this level again? Who is best to offer you this support? Where can we find this support?’
• ‘You have highlighted lots of academic points over the last year that impacted on your psychological wellbeing, were there also social or personal events that impacted on you at work?’ 
• ‘I see you have suggested this (key academic milestone or event) impacted on your stress levels. Other students have also found this milestone had an impact – could we take a moment to discuss what support I, or other students, can offer you for future occurrences?’

Let’s check back in

As you will know, psychological wellbeing is not a fixed line on a map. Academic milestones can change, and life events can occur differently than planned with challenges arising often out of the blue, despite best predictions. It is important that this clearly discussed in supervision. Ours is just a tool that starts a discussion, not a one-off fix for wellbeing, stress, or emotional work. This tool may be best used through regular revisiting and discussion in subsequent supervisions. 

Keep the discussion flowing by asking, for example:

• ‘When we last looked at this map, you thought around this point your psychological wellbeing may be (high/low) due to (academic milestone/life event), is this something you are experiencing?’ 
• ‘Do you feel you have the support you need at this point? Who is best to offer you this support? Where can we find this support?’
• ‘Looking back over the last year you have had a lot of changes/coped with a lot of life events/managed a lot of highs and lows, how do you feel moving forward?’

If you’d like to have a go, download the mapping tool here:

wellbeing-mapping-tool-for-supervisionDownload

Feel free to adapt or tailor it to suit your needs, and the frequency you’d like to use it. Of course, it’s important to feel comfortable in using a tool like this, we know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s OK, we encourage you to use whatever means work best for you and your doctoral researchers. This post by ‘Are you OK?’ team member Chris Blackmore looks at boundaries and support for supervisors.