Courses offered by the PhD Psychologist

The PhD Psychologist provides personal support for all PhD candidates and students at Utrecht University (UU), and medical centers and research institutes affiliated with UU, regardless of contract type.
In addition to individual support, group courses, tailored workshops, and masterclasses are also available. The focus is on developing insights and skills related to personal well-being, resilience, work satisfaction, motivation, self-management, work-life balance, creativity, ownership of the PhD journey, autonomy, social safety, supervision, and more. All services are provided free of charge.

PhD Support Groups

The PhD support groups are ongoing, with sessions held year-round every two weeks. You can join or leave the group whenever it suits your needs. PhD candidates from all Graduate Schools are welcome to participate. The support groups are highly interactive, involving experiential learning, discussions, insights, and practice. Participants are encouraged to share their challenges (within their personal boundaries), and confidentiality is strictly maintained: “what is said in the group, stays in the group.”
There are three PhD support groups available. If you're unsure which group to join, please contact the trainer (details below).

Perfectionism & Stress Management
Thursdays, 13:00–14:45 (biweekly, in-person sessions)
Key themes: Gaining insights into the mechanisms behind adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism, and learning strategies to manage stress, fear of failure, imposter syndrome, and controlling behaviors—whether it’s working excessively hard (risking burnout) or avoiding tasks (procrastination) and facing delays.

Autonomy & Resilience
Thursdays, 15:00–16:45 (biweekly, in-person sessions)
Key themes: Understanding psychological flexibility and the process of developing personal and professional identity and autonomy, while learning tools to enhance resilience and self-esteem.

Neurodiversity
Thursdays, 13:00–14:45 (biweekly, in-person sessions)
Key themes: Understanding neurodiversity (ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, high sensitivity), sharing strengths and challenges, and learning strategies to manage sensory overload, self-management, stress (balance), motivation, communication, and interactions with supervisors or team members.

Workshops for PhD candidates/students

Graduate schools, research groups, departments, PhD councils, PhD retreat organizers, “spill the tea” event hosts, and other PhD communities can request workshops from the PhD Psychologist. Topics may include mental health, work-life balance, managing work stress and pressure, academic culture, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, creativity, autonomy, social safety, neurodiversity, communication, interaction with supervisors, or other customized subjects.

Workshops, lasting between one and three hours, are designed as “pressure cookers”: intense, focused sessions. The duration and content are flexible and can be tailored to your needs. These workshops are highly interactive, involving experiential learning, discussions, insights, and practice. Participants are encouraged to share their challenges (within their personal boundaries), and confidentiality is strictly maintained—“what is said in the group, stays in the group.”