Doctoral research | Counselling and coaching
Individual support during your doctorate
We will support you during all stages of your doctorate with interdisciplinary counselling and coaching. Do you face a challenge in your career planning or have questions about pursuing a PhD? Make an appointment with us! We offer individual advice according to your needs: on-site, by telephone, or via Zoom in German or English.
Counselling and coaching – what’s the difference?
Our counselling services provide you with information that is crucial for your individual planning before or during your doctoral studies, e.g., on how to find a supervisor or how to finance your doctorate.
In addition, our coaching opens up a complementary space for self-reflection. Professional guidance will help you look at personal challenges and questions, e.g., Do I want to stay in academia after my PhD? How can I deal with pressure and multiple expectations? How can I resolve conflicts?
Our counselling offers
Individual advice on all questions regarding the doctoral process
Is a doctorate the right thing for me? What requirements do I have to meet to be accepted as a doctoral candidate? Do I have to enrol as a PhD student at the UDE? How do I find a supervisor, and how do I contact her/him? How can I finance my doctorate? How can I find funding for a research stay abroad? What do I have to consider when coming to Germany from abroad? What career options do I have in academia and beyond?
These are typical questions related to the doctorate that might also be on your mind. Therefore, we offer personal advice on all questions concerning the start and course of your doctorate.
Your contact
Simon Kresmann
gcplus@uni-due.de
Fon +49 201-183-2015
Career counselling for female early career researchers
The proportion of women decreases at each career stage, both in academia and business. Therefore, our career counselling for women specifically addresses female Master's students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral researchers – regardless of whether you are striving for a career in research, science management, or the private sector.
During an individual appointment, we will explore your goals and options and develop your strengths accordingly.
Your contact
Stephanie Sera
stephanie.sera@uni-due.de
Fon +49 201-183-3054
Our coaching offers
Coaching is a goal-oriented way to strengthen your problem-solving skills. You will gain clarity about your concerns and develop coherent solutions in an appreciative and dialog-oriented process. As coaches, Stephanie Sera and Valentina Vasilov will accompany you on your journey in a professional and confidential manner.
Both coaches have additional training as „Mental Health First Aider“ from the Central Institute for Mental Health in Mannheim. This enables them to identify and address mental health problems more quickly and to strengthen self-care. If necessary, they can provide competent information about relevant counselling and treatment centres.
Short profile of Stephanie Sera
Stephanie Sera is a person-centered integrative coach (DACB) and offers coaching on the following topics:
- Decision-making along the academic career path
- Being and staying authentic despite uncertainties in career planning
- Personal resilience in the face of systemic hurdles and experiences of discrimination
- Clarifying roles
Short profile of Valentina Vasilov
Valentina Vasilov is a person-centered integrative coach (DACB, GwG, RTC). She offers coaching on the following topics:
- Competence profiles and career development
- Personal development, self-reflection of own values, and motivation
- Decision making in ambivalent situations
- Conflict resolution; shaping complex relationships
- Dealing adequately with role plurality and new roles
- Coping with stress, change, or crisis
- Developing time-, goal- and self-management skills
Gemeinsam statt einsam - Kollegiales Coaching für Promovierende der UDE
Doing a doctorate is fun - and can be quite frustrating at the same time. New perspectives, insights and options for action often emerge in the group, which provide more clarity, increase motivation and promote the achievement of goals.
The moderated collegial coaching for doctoral researchers at UDE therefore supports you on the path to your doctorate and in your further career planning through self-reflection, feedback and interdisciplinary skills development.
Download Flyer (PDF, german language)
Not sure, whether this format is the right support for you? If you have any questions, please contact Valentina Vasilov directly:
Process and application
The first group of collegial coaching for doctoral researchers has already started.
If you are also interested in taking part in collegial coaching for doctoral researchers over the course of a year with a fixed group, please contact Valentina Vasilov directly (valentina.vasilov@uni-due.de).
Target group and requirements
For doctoral researchers who want to work together with a fixed group to...
- reflect on their own professional role
- focus on creativity, enjoyment of work and energy
- gain clarity about your own resources
- develop individual strategies and solutions for dealing with challenges
- experience support and mutual motivation to achieve goals
- exchange & network with peers
- discover feedback and appreciation as a resource
In addition to regular attendance at the scheduled appointments, participation also requires the ability to reflect, to bring in one's own concerns and the willingness to cooperate in the group.
Dates
12 dates in total, each Monday 10:00-12:00 in room WST-B04.05, Berliner Platz 6-8, 45127 Essen:
04.03.2024 | 15.04.2024 | 13.05.2024 | 10.06.2024 | 15.07.2024 | 26.08.2024
-> Interim assessment and decision for or against further participation
16.09.2024 | 28.10.2024 | 18.11.2024 | 09.12.2024 | 13.01.2025 | 10.02.2025
Supervisorin
Valentina Vasilov is a person-centered integrative coach (DACB, GwG, RTC) and trainer for research integrity, career development, communication and psychosocial health. She has many years of professional experience in doctoral training as well as work experience in diversity management in an academic context. As a member of the GC Plus team, she offers consulting and coaching for scientists on their career path and designs programs and trainings for the development of interdisciplinary skills.
Coaching Hour
During the coaching hour, you can familiarize yourself with our coaching offer or reflect on your concerns in a short session.
The coaching hour can develop into a longer coaching process if required.
Coaching on competence development, competence profile, and career planning
This coaching format invites you to reflect on your career goals, develop an individual career plan, and approach it strategically. In a first step, you will identify your motives, strengths, and potentials based on the UniWiND/GUAT competence model. Next, you will develop a distinctive competence profile that you can adequately communicate to potential employers within and outside of academia. On this basis, you can approach your further competence development in a direct manner and in line with your career goals. You will then develop initial ideas and steps for your career planning and identify potential hurdles as well as necessary resources and possible supporters.
At a glanceCounselling offers for doctoral researchers in the faculties and the UDE’s central facilities
Here you will find links to advisory services and contacts within faculties and other institutions at the UDE. The dean's offices and professors are your main contact for questions regarding subject-related and organizational aspects of doctoral studies.
Faculty of Biology
Faculty of Educational Sciences
Faculty of Chemistry
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Engineering
- Info page on doctoral research (Abteilung Bauwissenschaften)
- Info page on doctoral research (Abteilung Informatik und Angewandte Kognitionswissenschaft)
- Info page on doctoral research (Abteilung Maschinenbau und Verfahrenstechnik)
Faculty of Mathematics
Faculty of Medicine
Mercator School of Management
Faculty of Physics
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Other institutions at the UDE
- International Office: Welcome Service for (early career) researchers from abroad
- Science Support Centre
- University library Duisburg-Essen: information and counselling on the publication of your dissertation
- Zentrum für Gründungen und Innopreneurship der Universität Duisburg-Essen – GUIDE: Main contact at the UDE for those interested in starting a business
Your offer is missing in this list? Please write to gcplus@uni-due.de.