What is coaching?
Coaching is a method that can support you during critical stages of your career and get you closer to achieving your academic or professional goals. Through dialogue with a qualified coach, you can build awareness and responsibility in decision-making processes by formulating your own objectives and guiding you to achieve them. Coaching can be beneficial at any stage during your career, weather you are during your PhD or a professor.
Coaching aims to support the career development by providing an opportunity to reflect on topics ranging from personal motivation to conflict solving strategies. The process aims to mobilize and enhance the strengths of the individual to successfully navigate the challenges of an academic career. This program also intends to provide outside support in personally sensitive periods, for example while balancing family and career.
Topics that can be discussed in coaching contexts may include:
- personal and professional growth
- soft skills (e.g. conflict management, time management)
- decision-making processes
- work-life-balance
- personal issues related to job satisfaction and performance, such as fears or exhaustion
Counselling at the University of Freiburg
Importantly, coaching is not a replacement for therapy or counselling. Coaching is a process that aims to improve performance and satisfaction by focusing on the ‘here and now’ rather than on the distant past or future. If you need support because of emergencies related to issues of mental health, stalking or harassment, you can find information from the University of Freiburg here.
