UvA twin sisters create card game to discuss well-being of PhD students
Almost half of doctoral students have an increased risk of mental health issues. Universities still do too little to improve the well-being of PhD students, according to twin sisters Lara and Luisa Solms. They created a card game as a conversation starter.
While walking the neighbor’s dog, twin sisters Lara and Luisa Solms came up with the idea. Both sisters were in the middle of their doctoral studies in psychology; Lara is in the field of coaching at Erasmus University and Luisa researches the well-being of PhD students at the UvA. Faced with the challenges of doing a PhD and the slowness of processes such as submitting publications, they wanted to create something tangible to help PhD students in the short term.
Coaching for PhD students seemed the most obvious option, but unaffordable for most PhD students. So the sisters looked for a more accessible way. In line with the podcast Phd Unplugged, which the sisters previously created, there is now a deck of cards that you can take anywhere.
Can’t PhD students just discuss difficult topics in the pub?
Luisa: “You certainly can, but not everyone does it. And when you are in the pub with your colleagues you may not want to talk about work. Even in conversations with supervisors, it is mostly about tasks and not your well-being.”
Lara: “It depends on whether the group of PhD students you are in is close and you feel safe enough to discuss these kinds of topics.”
Luisa: “People who already talk about these topics easily don’t need such a game. But for a large group that is not the case. A game like this can be the first step to discussing them.”
What is the situation with PhD students?
Luisa: “There is already a fair amount of research that shows that PhD students in particular struggle with symptoms such as depression and anxiety and that their stress level is very high. Publication pressure plays a role and so does work-life balance. Many PhD students are so focused on work that they put things in their private lives on the back burner.”
Lara: “We also know from our own experience that doing a PhD is a stressful experience. Especially at the end where you have to complete your dissertation and look for a new job, while at the same time, you still have teaching duties and there are still publications to be published.
How can a card game help with that?
Luisa: “The card game can help PhD students gain insight into what is going on and what is needed to reduce stress and promote well-being. But more importantly than offering solutions, it helps doctoral students really talk about their problems.”
Lara: “Making it possible to discuss problems and showing PhD students that they are not alone is one of our main goals.”
Luisa: “We want to normalize the problems facing PhD students because everyone faces obstacles, albeit at different times. And then it’s nice to know you’re not the only one because then you start thinking you’re failing yourself.”
How does the card game work?
Luisa: “It’s 80 cards with coaching questions on 10 topics such as stress, work-life balance, procrastination, and relationships. There are explanation cards about how those topics affect PhDs and what you can do about them. And there are questions on the topics, such as ‘How do you know you’re stressed?’ to help PhD students reflect on and talk about their PhD experience.”
With a card game for PhD students, aren’t you just putting the ball in the PhD students’ court?
Lara: “Yes, that’s right. And of course you get that with all interventions, such as coaching, that are focused on the ‘victim.’ On the other hand, the system won’t change that quickly and easily. So if you want to offer help, this is the most direct way.”
In fact, shouldn’t you create a card game for counselors?
Lara: “Yes, exactly. One of the topics is about supervision, so we hope that the card game can also inspire supervisors. How can they engage in conversation with doctoral students? But we haven’t developed a separate card game for that yet.”
Luisa: “We encourage using the deck in groups, with PhD students, mentors and supervisors together. Departments can purchase it and set aside time to play it.”
Lara: “It’s a conversation starter. And hopefully in a few years we won’t need a game like this anymore.”
Luisa: “Then hopefully it will have become normal to discuss these topics.”
On July 1st at 4:00 p.m., the card game will be launched at the ImpactLab on Roeterseiland. You can sign up via this link. From then on, the card game will be for sale for €24.50 from Kloosterhof publishers at www.coachboeken.nl.
