Maintaining your own personal wellbeing as a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) can be difficult when you’re trying to support your students.
Being a Personal Academic Tutor may mean that one of your students may confide in you with personal information. In 2021/22, a HESA article indicated that 131,900 students reported having a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia. It can be a stressful experience if you are having to deal with traumatic and sensitive information, and the University is keen to support PATs through this process.
There are tools available to support students, but are you aware of what might help you to manage your wellbeing?
Katie Coultas (Wellbeing Officer) is running in-person workshops over a few dates that cover keeping yourself well whilst dealing with difficult conversations and maintaining boundaries with students. You will learn practical tips that can be incorporated into practice and be given the opportunity to explore scenarios and identify unhelpful thinking.
There are several dates to choose from. Please indicate your preferred dates by using this wellbeing workshop registration form and CHEP will be in touch.
By the end of this workshop, you should be able to:
- Understand the boundaries of a PAT and who to alert if a student is in need.
- Structure the conversation so that you can set boundaries whilst supporting the student.
- Recognise how different interactions impact on our thoughts, feelings and actions.
- Recognise helpful and unhelpful thinking patterns.
- Apply different strategies to maintain good mental wellbeing.
- Know what support is available to you when you need it.
If you’re unable to make these dates or if you have feedback about these sessions, please email [email protected].