Doctoral training
Support for the whole of your doctorate
Doctoral research is demanding, often solitary, and rarely linear. None of that is a sign that something is wrong. It is how doctoral research works.
That is exactly why we meet every researcher at the start, not only when something goes wrong. We are a team of registered clinicians with NHS and private practice backgrounds, and the door is open for the whole of your doctorate.
The shape of the problem
A doctoral training programme brings researchers together as a cohort. The research itself is mostly done alone: in a lab, in the field, in the archive, at a laptop. Supervisors are experts in the research, not in wellbeing. Progress is uneven, setbacks are private, and many researchers are living away from home or working across institutions.
Support that waits to be asked for arrives late by design. Ours is designed to arrive first.
How it works
A first conversation: the wellbeing MOT
Every researcher in the cohort is invited to a wellbeing MOT: a one-off, no-pressure check-in with one of our team at the start of the programme. It is optional, and we recommend it to everyone.
It is a conversation, not an assessment. You share as much or as little as you want, and there is nothing to prepare. The aim is simple: you know who we are, we know who you are, and the door is open.
An open door, for the whole doctorate
After the MOT, you come back whenever you choose, including when things are going well. Researchers bring different things:
- Some bring the ordinary maintenance of a long project: sleep, energy, routine, boundaries.
- Some bring a supervisor relationship, a viva, a presentation, a career decision.
- Some bring something that is starting to feel heavy, and would rather talk it through early, with someone who already knows them.
More support, without starting again
If you need more than wellbeing support, we arrange it without a gap and without you having to retell your story to a stranger:
- Specialist care with our clinical team, funded through private medical insurance if you have it, or on a self-funding basis.
- Support into NHS care, working with your GP so you reach the right NHS service.
You decide which route is right for you. We help you get there.
Who we are
We are registered clinicians whose careers span the NHS and private practice. We know how NHS and private services connect, and we make sure nobody falls between them.
Confidentiality
What you tell us stays with us. We do not report to your supervisor, your programme or your funder about what you discuss. The only exception is where we believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, and we will always try to discuss that with you first. Your programme receives anonymised uptake numbers only. Nothing that identifies you.
Questions
No. It is optional, and we recommend it to everyone. It is a single short session and there is nothing to prepare.
The best time to meet us is before you need us
Leading or reviewing a doctoral programme? See how the pathway works for programmes.