GAUSS

Information from GAUSS & GAUSS Career Service

Online workshop: “Resilience Training for Researchers” (9 weeks), start: 7 Feb 2022

We are happy to announce our online workshop “Resilience Training for Researchers” with Dr. Nadine Sinclair and Paul Sinclair.

Working in science and research can be highly rewarding but also extremely challenging. Pressure of competition, limited resources (be it time, be it funding), and conflicting situations almost belong to everyday life. In addition, ambition and aspiring perfection can lead to being too hard on yourself. It is no secret that all these factors may affect your well-being and mental health.

In this 9-week online program you are invited to learn strategies to cope with stress and pressure and how to make conscious lifestyle choices that support your physical and mental health. You will be able to create emotional self-awareness, develop your ability to regulate your emotions under pressure and learn techniques to help you push through personal and professional challenges without exhausting yourself.

Format

  • Weekly 2-hour live workshops via Zoom video conference hosted by two experienced mental health facilitators, including interactive breakout sessions with your peers
  • Self-study workbooks with evidence-based resilience boosting strategies with actionable feedback on weekly course assignments on a dedicated private community platform
  • Private community that allows you to interact with peers and exchange additional resources
  • On-demand resource area with workshop recordings, workbooks and additional resources
  • Personal Resilience Indicator (PRI) diagnostic with a personalized report at the beginning and end of the training

Key dates and Registration

  • Starting Date: Monday, 7 February 2022
  • Duration: 9 consecutive Mondays, 16-18h
  • Target group: PhD students and postdocs who would like to learn techniques to better cope with stress (at work)
  • Registration: Please send an email to courses@gauss.uni-goettingen.de including a short statement on your motivation (in a separate attachment) to join this workshop by 31 Decemer 2021! The allocation of places will be by anonymised random selection; the motivation statement won’t be decisive but will be forwarded to the workshop trainer when you are a confirmed participant.
  • IMPORTANT: the weekly workload for each participant is 2-3 hours! Only register if you can commit to this.

Pre-requisites

This training is for you if you can attend all nine live workshops, are willing to explore what’s driving your mental health with a curious and open mind, are ready to roll up your sleeves to work with the tools and techniques and willing to engage/interact with the trainers and your peers on these topics.

This training is not for you if you are just looking for information on resilience, cannot take the time to attend the workshops and implement the techniques, or are unwilling to discuss topics around mental health openly and submit the weekly assignments in the private community.

Detailed workshop description

Many researchers find the stress of academia challenging. After all, researchers tend to taste failure more often than success in their day-to-day experiments. Constantly thinking about your research (especially outside of working hours), the pressure to publish and the uncertainty about the next position are likely some of the factors that make researchers more prone to mental health conditions than other professional groups. The 2019 Wellcome Trust Mental Health Survey revealed that one in two researchers have had or are currently seeking professional help for mental health challenges.

Therefore, it is crucial to equip researchers with the skills to build personal resilience to deal with stress and setbacks constructively. Different from what many people believe, resilience is a skill that anyone can learn. This workshop provides the tools and techniques that will teach you sustainable, resilience-building habits.

Past participants report significant increases in their resilience scores (from lowest to the third quartile), higher energy levels (86%) and motivation (86%), improved ability to deal with setbacks (95%) and resolving conflicts (91%). Interviews with past participants are available here: https://bit.ly/3uDAUJD

Please note that this is a training and not a substitute for treatment by a mental health professional. If you are suffering from mental health problems, we strongly recommend to seek professional help. If you have a diagnosed mental health condition, please consult with your physician ahead of registering for this program.