Brief Overview
There is little doubt that pursuing a doctorate is an incredibly demanding endeavour and key to supporting students throughout is the supervisory team. The relationship students build with supervisor(s) is unlike any other; the close and sometimes intense nature of the supervisory arrangement can be both comforting and overwhelming, requiring that boundaries are established. A doctoral journey is a long one, with unforeseen challenges along the way. It is therefore vital that the relationship is founded upon open, clear communication; and an acknowledgement by all parties that there will be (many) times to exercise a degree of flexibility and critical reflection about what is needed at particular points along the journey. This session invites supervisors to deliberate and discuss a series of ‘what if’ scenarios that are often encountered in doctoral supervision to consider how wellbeing (for everyone) might be foregrounded in navigating ways forward.
Key topics: