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students
by Bill Sheate
I work with perfectionism among clients a lot, not just in relation to academic work but also in many walks of life and in relation to many facets of daily living.
In “Perfectionism: the modern scourge” I explained what is often going on and why; the constant striving for perfect, but that perfect is so often an unattainable goal. Here I explore a little further some of the diverse manifestations of this challenging issue….. [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
As the 2024-25 academic year begins you may be embarking on your dream course, or maybe you have all sorts of expectations of what university life will be like. Give yourself time to settle in, make friends, socialise - your social network (and by that I mean in-real-life friends and colleagues!) will provide you with the base from which to celebrate the good stuff and cope with the problems in life.
Here are a few of the common issues many students find can end up occupying their time more than they would want ........ [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
As an academic and as a therapist I’ve observed over the last couple of decades a steady decline in students’ general ability to take notes. Why might that be and so what? Well, note taking is a skill that previous generations took for granted because we had no choice – in a lecture we were never given handouts let alone copies of slides or the option to watch it again (or for the first time) on video! You had to filter what was important and what was not. And so, the skill was learned through years of practice; learning by doing …... [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
I’m reluctant to suggest this might be my last Coronavirus blog on the subject – it is likely to be for 2020 at least! I never anticipated a series when I posted the first one back in March this year [1]. But Covid-19 continues to dominate the headlines – with the recent end of a second lockdown, new tiered levels of restrictions, the start of the first vaccinations, Christmas holidays and maybe a third lockdown after that (seems quite likely!)? How are you supposed to navigate the deluge of information, different restrictions and competing claims? How is this continuing to impact on your own mental health and well-being - as a student or as a member of staff? …..[Read more]
by Bill Sheate
As Universities re-open for the new academic year this autumn students and staff are facing a whole new world, a very different experience to one we may be used to or have come to expect.
Big lectures with hundreds of students are no more.
Online video recorded lecture material and online live meetings are the new order of the day.
And maybe some small group teaching or lab working, where possible, in 'bubbles' of various sizes.
But social events on campus are hugely curtailed.
Covid-19 has created it's own existential anxieties for many while for some the risks seem overblown. But as I've discussed in my previous Coronavirus blogs (1-4), this spectrum of perception is normal, depending on your own personal circumstances……. [Read more]
by Bill Sheate
Stressed out by exams?
Worried; wracked by self-doubt?
Tired from revision, but can't sleep?
Fearful; anxious about the outcome?
I'm offering - for a limited period only - a 2-hour one-off, personalised, individual session on exam stress at a highly discounted special student fee of £60 for the full 120-minute session. ……. read more
by Bill Sheate
Increasingly educational psychology recognises the importance of students developing self-awareness competency - the ability to reflect on one’s own role in society, to be able to evaluate one’s actions and to deal with one’s emotions and desires.
Typically, this involves five key aspects: ……..
by Bill Sheate
As students begin a new life at University over the coming weeks (September/October 2018), or return to continue their courses of study, many will already have previous experience of mental health issues while some may develop them at University, often in response to the stresses and strains that come with university life (work, relationships, being away from family, finances etc). Typical problems include: ……..
by Bill Sheate
Rob Rinder - in his recent comment piece (17 August 2018) for the London Evening Standard "Failing to get the exam results you want could be the best thing that happens to you — just look at me" - hit the nail on the head. As he said:
"I am convinced that the more pressure we place on the single moment of exam results, the more we detract from nurturing the intellectual and emotional range that turns young people into successful adults and good citizens…….”
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by Bill Sheate
Rightly, student mental health is often now making headline news, with the need for better provision for students' well-being as they move from home to university settings, and throughout their time at university and in response to the demands and expectations upon them. Sometimes forgotten in all this is the fact that university staff - academic, research and administrative staff - also suffer from stress, anxiety, depression and a host of other mental health issues………
by Bill Sheate
I'm delighted to announce that from April 2018 I will be running a weekly clinic on Friday mornings (between 8.30am - 2.00pm) in Bloomsbury. Located right next to the British Museum, Museum Street is right in the heart of London academia, surrounded by the University of London, UCL, and Birkbeck among others.........
by Bill Sheate
A recent IPPR study reported in The Guardian has found suicides among UK university students at record levels (The Guardian, 2 September 2017 - Suicide is at record level among students at UK universities, study finds).
We have known for a long time about rising demand for university counselling services and a common assumption is that it is a response to rising student debt due to tuition fees and that universities need to invest more in those services. Well, yes, they do, but the issue is far more fundamental than that on at least two different levels..........
by Bill Sheate
This week - in Mental Health Awareness Week - I’ve concluded the last of six core sessions of what is now an annual programme of resilience skills training for our one-year MSc course in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London. I see the programme as an integral part of transferable skills training – those skills and attributes now seen as at least as important by employers as the qualifications our students leave with. Indeed, by seeing mental health resilience skills as part of transferable skills we can begin to break down the reluctance of some to even consider going to a mindfulness or relaxation class..........
