Consultancy

Are you wondering whether a doctorate is right for you? Are you struggling to make the progress you’d like with your research? Are you facing particular challenges or obstacles in the doctorate process? Is your supervision situation or working environment proving very challenging for you? Are you thinking about dropping out? Would you like to find out about the support available from the Graduate School? Are you looking for opportunities to network with other doctorate students? Are you interested in potential career paths after completing your doctorate?

Our team will be happy to provide you with personalised and expert advice on your enquiries. Our advisory services are also aimed at postdocs, doctoral supervisors and professors with an interest in research who are considering supervising early career researchers in the future. We are here to assist you with questions regarding the structure of training positions, clarifying university supervision arrangements, and resolving conflicts. We are also happy to advise you on the support and networking opportunities available to your doctoral candidates through the Graduate School, as well as on any other matters relating to the doctoral process.

Our counselling services are, of course, completely confidential. Get to know our counsellors and feel free to contact them directly to arrange an appointment.

Coaching

In addition to advisory services, we also offer doctoral candidates and their supervisors the opportunity to take advantage of individual coaching. Unlike counselling, coaching is more of a process-oriented form of support rather than a one-off intervention. This means that you will meet on several occasions – as many times as necessary – until your issue has been adequately resolved to your satisfaction. The aim of coaching is always to clarify the issues you are facing and to develop strategies for dealing with them that suit you and your day-to-day academic work.

Doctorate coaching provides valuable support, for example, when facing challenges with work organisation, mental blocks, low motivation, procrastination, self-doubt, anxieties and conflicts. Coaching support is also advisable during particularly pivotal stages of a doctorate (during the first year of the doctorate, the final phase of the doctorate, when employment contracts are coming to an end, etc.). The same applies to doctoral candidates who have to cope with specific personal circumstances and work situations (e.g. being the only woman or person from a migrant background, the only doctoral candidate in their research field, a first-generation doctoral candidate, health issues, starting a family, etc.). Please do not hesitate to contact us with any concerns you may have: for us, there are no silly questions or trivial problems. Together, we will always find a suitable solution for you. And, of course, everything remains strictly confidential.

We also offer doctoral supervisors the option of taking up individual coaching support. Individual coaching is particularly recommended for professors who are new to the role of doctoral supervisor. Coaching is also very helpful if you wish to clarify your role and style as a doctoral supervisor, or if you would like to develop a strategy for interacting with students and organising your work that works for you, enabling you to balance this role with other professional and personal commitments as effectively as possible. We are also happy to support you in the strategic development and structuring of your training programme for early-career researchers (establishing colloquia, introducing structured supervision meetings, etc.). Please feel free to contact us directly to arrange an appointment.

Industrial and Organisational Psychology Service at Hochschule München

In an increasingly complex working environment, doctoral candidates are increasingly faced with new challenges and tasks that can lead to psychological stress. 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 HM staff or provide support should the need arise.

Occupational psychology counselling is provided by AMD TÜV Arbeitsmedizinische Dienste GmbH.

The counselling sessions are tailoredto 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 finding solutions and broaden your scope for action. If required, we will provide information on other professional support services.

First Point of Contact for Anti-Discrimination

Have you been insulted or treated unfairly on the basis of racist stereotypes (skin colour, headscarf, etc.) or physical characteristics? Were racist or sexist teaching materials used in a seminar? Were negative characteristics attributed to you on the basis of your gender identity and sexual orientation, or on the basis of your religious affiliation? Have you been sexually harassed, e.g. through sexualised comments, unwanted touching or leering? Have you experienced discrimination in any other way?

Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated at Hochschule München. Those affected can contact the university’s first point of contact .