Wellbeing

Talk to someone

It is not uncommon for research students to experience difficulties during their studies, e.g., disruptive life events, uncertainty or feeling that you can't go on. If you have a problem please let us know.

You can talk to your Supervisor(s), your Third Party Monitor, Postgraduate Tutor, Associate Dean Research, Research Degree Coordinator (for ARC students) or the Graduate School. Who you speak to depends on several factors:

Are your problems directly linked to your doctoral project? In this case you may want support from someone with an academic understanding.
Are you experiencing issues related to your supervisory team? You may want to speak to someone more central in your school/department or your Third Party Monitor.
Do you need help with navigating University systems? The Graduate School may be able to help.
Who are you comfortable with? Sometimes it's the individual relationship rather than the formal roles that matters.

General wellbeing support

The following wellbeing support is available to directly registered OU research students; for Affiliated Research Centre students, we encourage you to talk with your supervisor or Research Degree Coordinator about what support is available at your institution.

Employee Assistance Programme
OU Wellbeing App
National Support Network
Mental Health Casework and Advice Team
Samaritans
Wellbeing resources

Employee Assistance Programme (online and phone support)

The Employee Assistance Programme is a free and confidential service subscribed to by the Open University, offering expert information, advice, counselling and support on a wide range of issues. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

It is provided by Wisdom (Health Assured) and can be accessed using the Employee Assistance Programme log-in information | OU online.

People can bring any issue they like to counselling. They can have a one-off session when they call the helpline or ask to be referred for 6 (extended to 12 in exceptional circumstances) sessions of ‘solution focused’ counselling with a BACP accredited counsellor. Further info on the Wellbeing+ pages.

OU Wellbeing app

OUWellbeing is an app which makes looking after your wellbeing fun, interactive and stimulating by providing you with the tools to start building healthy, positive habits into your everyday life. It’s available to staff and students with content tailored to each group: you can signal that you are a postgraduate research student when you sign up.

Download it here from the iOS or Android app stores. Use your OU staff email address to sign up.

National Support Network

Life can throw a whole range of challenges our way, from those small to medium daily issues, to life-changing events that no one ever thought might affect them.

On such occasions, we often seek help and advice from friends, colleagues or family, but when they can’t help or we don’t want to ask them, we might turn to the internet and start searching… The problem is, we’re not sure what we’ll find, nor how reliable the results might be. This is where the National Support Network (or NSN for short) can help.

NSN is free and completely confidential, and is available to all OU staff and students, helping connect people quickly and easily with over 3000 safe, reliable and quality assured national support services across the four nations of the UK (and the Republic of Ireland from next year).

It offers a one stop site to find help for anything from health to money challenges; supporting the family to flourish, to dealing with traumatic relationship issues; from housing to work-related queries; to recovering from crime or bereavement.

Mental Health Casework and Advice Team (MHCAT)

The OU has developed a new service to support students experiencing mental health disruption: Mental Health Casework and Advice Team (MHCAT). MHCAT provides a specialist, one-to-one support service for PGRs needing guidance on managing complex mental health difficulties or severe emotional distress alongside their research degree. The service is available to all registered students on either a referral basis or self-referral, and subject to eligibility criteria.

It is worth noting, however, that MHCAT do not provide counselling or talking therapy, but tailored support around mental health difficulties in relation to study. MHCAT can also coordinate support from other parts of the OU, e.g., Disability Services, and external organisations. PGRs don't need to have a mental health diagnosis or to identify as having a mental health condition to receive support from a member of MHCAT.

How it works

If, having explored all other avenues of support, a PGR (either independently or in conjunction with their supervisor or Third Party Monitor) thinks they would benefit from MHCAT, their supervisor or Third Party Monitor should contact the Graduate School where Jane Wilson (Senior Manager) will look at their case. If appropriate, the PGR will be referred to MHCAT. This will be discussed with the PGR, and they will not be referred without their consent. Alternatively, PGRs can self-refer using the Mental Health Casework - PGR Self-Referral Form.

Once accepted, the PGR will be assigned an adviser from the MHCAT team who'll be their named contact. Tailored support will be provided after the initial consultation, to help them move forward with their research degree.

What happens if the referral is not accepted

We'll explain to the PGR why they were not accepted at this time and signpost them to other services, within or outside the OU, that may be of further help. Remember the Employee Assistance Programme (see earlier in this section) is available to all directly-registered PGRs.

Samaritans (phone and email support)

The Samaritans also offer emotional support 24 hours a day - in full confidence.

Call 116 123 (UK)*

Call 116 123 (ROI)*

*Free to call.

Or email [email protected]

OUSA cover these and some other options on their Help and support page.

Wellbeing resources

For PG research students

Managing your Mental Health during your PhD (ebook) by Zoe Ayres is available as a free download.

The Wellbeing Thesis: provides information to improve the mental health of postgraduate research students. Collaboration between The University of Derby, King’s College London and Student Minds.

Staying positive during your doctorate and Coping with stress and anxiety (Vitae)

The PhD Survival video (34 minutes)

The Dignity and Respect Policy - Bullying and harassment between students or students and staff.

Jonathan's Voice PGR Guide Guide covers preventative measures to look after yourself, keeping motivated, what to do when self-care is not enough, talking about your mental health and managing challenges.

Wellbeing and mental health: OU PGR-authored resource by Jo Vincett which covers the highs and lows of working on a research degree.

For OU students and staff

External sources of information and support: this page in the OU's Help Centre lists some extra resources in addition to the ones already mentioned.

The Wellbeing+ pages from Occupational Health list advice and resources on health, life and work.

The Neurodiversity Network: a place to further the equality, acceptance and inclusion of the neurologically different within the OU.

Student support

OU guide for students studying emotionally challenging content This guide has been writen for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students but contains advice that is still relevant to PG research students.

Student space (led by Student Minds) offers support, advice and information, including tailored support for students especially affected by the pandemic, including Black students, Muslim students, Punjabi students, Trans students, Working-class students, students hearing voices, students with OCD and BDD, and students with disordered eating.