Advice and coaching for doctoral candidates, postdocs and supervisors
The Graduate School supports you at every stage of your academic development. Our services are confidential, free of charge and interdisciplinary, and are aimed at doctoral candidates, postdocs and supervisors who are looking for guidance, wish to reflect on challenges, or are seeking support in dealing with stressful situations.
Counselling - Guidance, information and support
During the counselling session, you will have the opportunity to describe your situation and clarify any questions you may have. We will help you to organise your thoughts, weigh up your options and plan your next steps. This involves not only organisational matters, but also personal issues that play a role in everyday academic life.
How we can support you:
- Understanding doctoral and career paths and preparing for decisions
- Discussing challenges in the context of supervision or work
- Making sense of uncertainties, stress and or conflicts
- Finding suitable services, programmes, networking opportunities and points of contact
- Understanding career paths
A counselling session is particularly suitable if you are looking for initial guidance or wish to discuss a specific concern. It is confidential, solution-focused and helps you gain clarity on the next steps.
Coaching - Process support & personal development
Coaching offers in-depth, personalised support over the course of several sessions. It focuses not only on work organisation or career planning, but also on personal challenges relating to academic work, such as motivation, self-confidence, coping with pressure and workload, procrastination, anxieties or challenges in supervision.
Areas we work on together
- Strengthening work organisation and motivation - realistic planning, prioritisation, coping with pressure
- Overcoming mental blocks, procrastination or anxieties - e.g. writer's block, fear of failure, self-esteem issues, feeling overwhelmed
- Coping with personal pressures - family responsibilites, health issues, specific life circumstances
Coaching helps you to strengthen your resources, gain clarity and develop new strategies for dealing with challenges.
Our consultants and coaches
Key areas of consultancy:
- Doctoral process: Regulations and formalities
- Funding for the doctorate
- Doctoral centres
Key areas of consultancy:
• Transition to the postdoctoral phase
• Funding opportunities for postdocs
• Career paths after completing a doctorate
• Skills assessment and decision-making
Key areas of consultancy & coaching:
- Psychosocial counselling & coaching for doctoral candidates and postdocs – confidential, resource- and solution-focused
- Whether you’re feeling uncertain, anxious about exams, struggling with motivation or putting things off – during your doctorate or afterwards
- In the face of challenging life circumstances or personal crises
- Individual counselling and Let's Talk - open consultation hours (see drop-down menu below)
Key areas of consultancy:
- Transition to the postdoctoral phase
- Career paths after completing a doctorate
- Skills profile
Further services & contact points
Let’s Talk is an open counselling service that offers you easy access to informal and confidential discussions about any (personal) challenges you may face whilst undertaking your doctorate. There is no need to book an appointment; the service is free of charge and there is no obligation.
- Let’s Talk operates on a first-come, first-served basis
- There is no need to book an appointment; you can simply drop in
- Each session lasts approximately 20 minutes
The service is aimed at all doctoral candidates and postdocs at Munich University of Applied Sciences and takes place alternately in person and online.
Consultation hours: 9am - 10am (alternating between in-person and online sessions)
Let's talk in person in 2026:
07.01., 04.02., 11.03., 22.04., 20.05., 22.07., 07.10., 11.11., 09.12.
Location: Q-Bau, Q2.04 (Graduate School, Lazarettstr. 60b)
Let's talk digital in 2026:
21.01., 25.02., 25.03., 06.05., 10.06., 23.09., 28.10., 25.11.
Meeting-ID: 699 3761 4575
Passwort: 799014
Alternative appointment times can be arranged by email or telephone .
In an increasingly complex working environment, doctoral candidates are faced with ever more new challenges and tasks that can lead to psychological strain. In such circumstances, counselling and coaching may no longer be the most appropriate form of support.
However, psychological counselling can help here and, in line with the principle of prevention, protect you as an employee of HM or provide support should the need arise.
Occupational psychology counselling is provided by AMD TÜV Arbeitsmedizinische Dienste GmbH.
The counselling sessions are tailored to your individual needs. You will be supported in making better use of your personal resources and developing them further. Together, we will work out specific strategies for resolving issues and broaden your scope for action. Where necessary, we will provide information on other professional support services.
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Undergraduate and postgraduate study present many opportunities and challenges. Health, wellbeing and effective learning are key to success. Would you like to improve these areas? Then discover the HM-wide range of services relating to health, wellbeing and learning.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) first aiders are there to support you if you find yourself in a mentally stressful situation or simply need someone to talk to. In a safe and confidential setting, trained MHFA first aiders are available as your first point of contact.