Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Instituting Self-care Strategies for Doctoral Students

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Doctoral Experience

  • 581 Accesses

Abstract

A doctoral journey can be an enjoyable, yet protracted, undertaking. Research students therefore have the potential to be impeded by excess baggage, including burnout, anxiety or depression, due to the uncertain direction events may take. It is imperative obstacles be pre-empted and overcome to mitigate the risks to the emotional well-being of students so they do not lose sight of their sense of self or suffer impairment in their researching capabilities. This chapter aims to demonstrate the significance of recognising the symptoms of negative sequelae that can arise from protracted research study and the value of impairment prevention. Through an evidence-based case study, this chapter also outlines potential consequences for those dealing with stories of a personal or traumatic nature, which include re-traumatisation, and the risks of compassion fatigue or vicarious traumatisation that can arise when researching other participants’ stories, all of which can have an impact on research outcomes. It provides practical self-care intervention strategies to build resilience and address well-being over the long doctoral journey. These range from developing positive habits to journaling to encourage personal exploration and increased self-awareness, through to knowing when to seek professional help.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 19.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Australian Psychological Society. 2018. “Understanding and managing psychological trauma.” http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/trauma.

  • Bolton, G. 1999a. “‘Every poem breaks a silence that had to be overcome’: The therapeutic power of poetry writing.” Feminist Review 62: 118–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolton, G. 1999b. The Therapeutic Potential of Creative Writing: Writing Myself. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourg Carter, S. 2013. “The tell-tale signs of burnout … do you have them?” Psychology Today Web Blog, November 26, 2013. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them.

  • Bradley, N., J. Whisenhunt, N. Adamson, and V. E. Kress. 2013. “Creative approaches for promoting counselor self-care.” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 8: 456–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clance, P. R., and S. Imes. 1978. “The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention.” Psychotherapy Theory, Research and Practice 15 (3): 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1990. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY: Harper and Rowe.

    Google Scholar 

  • DaPra, T. 2013. “Writing memoir and writing for therapy.” Creative Nonfiction 48. http://www.creativenonfiction.org/therapy-memoir.

  • Detrixhe, J. J. 2010. “Souls in jeopardy: Questions and innovations for bibliotherapy with fiction.” Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development 49: 58–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driskell, J. E., and J. H. Johnston. 1998. “Stress exposure training”. In Making Decisions Under Stress: Implications for Individual and Team Training, edited by J. A. Cannon-Bowers and E. Salas, 191–217. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jaruwan Sakulku, J., and J. Alexander. 2011. “The impostor phenomenon.” International Journal of Behavioral Science 6 (1): 73–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, S., and L. Cavallaro. 2017. “Researcher self-care in emotionally demanding research: A proposed conceptual framework.” Qualitative Health Research 28 (4): 648–658.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, C. A., and J. C. McEachern, eds. 2001. Toward a Theory of Neuroplasticity. Philadelphia, PA: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and the Arts, Central Queensland University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Leanne Dodd

Authors
  1. Leanne Dodd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leanne Dodd .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and the Arts, Central Queensland University, Noosaville, QLD, Australia

    Donna Lee Brien  & Elizabeth Ellison  & 

  2. School of Communication, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Craig Batty

  3. Learning and Teaching Centre, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Alison Owens

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Dodd, L. (2019). Instituting Self-care Strategies for Doctoral Students. In: Brien, D.L., Batty, C., Ellison, E., Owens, A. (eds) The Doctoral Experience. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18199-4_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18199-4_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-18198-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-18199-4

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation