{"id":6426,"date":"2018-06-18T12:05:56","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T00:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=6426"},"modified":"2018-06-19T11:44:20","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T23:44:20","slug":"new-postgrad-student-connections-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=6426","title":{"rendered":"New Postgrad Student Connections Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Amanda Lees, AUT Counsellor<\/strong><\/p>\n

AUT offers several groups and numerous activities throughout the year for research students (those involved in producing a thesis). Many of these groups have an emphasis on aspects of academic life. Group activities and events can provide insight into what fellow students are engaged in and thinking about. Groups have the potential to reduce isolation, to stimulate thought, to see issues through others\u2019 perspectives, and to learn about how other people deal with similar issues. They can also provide a chance for mutual support. Groups tend to provide synergy. However, groups that focus upon academic-related issues do not specifically attend to \u2018The Person\u2019 who conducts the research \u2013 that is you, the PG student!<\/p>\n

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This new group is aimed at providing socio-emotional support for \u2018The Person\u2019 who conducts the many roles that a research student can be involved in \u2013 these roles include study, work, teaching, partner, family, and more. Postgraduate students, especially those involved in large-scale thesis projects, can have more complex life scenarios associated with their various roles, greater isolation, pressure to perform and expectations to be outstanding, loss of familiar culture and cultural adjustment (especially for international students), and sometimes difficulties with their supervisory relationship(s).<\/p>\n

A recent article called \u201cWork organization and mental health problems in PhD students\u201d (Levecquea et al 2017) cites the following mental health issues for PhD students:<\/p>\n