Well-Being and Support during your PhD

 

Mental Health & Well-Being

If you're struggling with challenges that are impacting your mental health and well-being, please do not suffer in silence. You're not alone, and seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. There are several ways to improve your well-being—support is just a step away:

Anonymous Counseling Service - EMAP
If you require fast and anonymous support while facing a crisis that affects your work — whether professional, personal, or health-related — the EMAP Counseling Service (full info in intranet) is available 24/7 through the Fürstenberg Institute.

Do you have a short-term request with high priority and need quick support?
Call the Fürstenberg Institute 24/7 for immediate help at:
0800 387 78 36 from Germany ; (from outside Germany call: 00800 38 77 83 62)
 
  • Free of charge for employees, scholarship holders and their relatives
  • Appointments can be made at short notice , also online
  • Available 365 days per year / 24 hours every day
  • Counselling offered in person, via telephone, online and via chat
  • Multilingual service, available in up to 20 languages
  • High data protection standards, absolutely confidential and anonymous
  • Referral to specialists, therapists, clinics, etc. if necessary
  • Everything offered by a single provider: including support services in international crisis situations, e.g. Middle East crisis
Psychological Counselling at MPI-FKF
To schedule an appointment see info in intranet

     

    Mediation & Support

    IMPRS-CMS strives to ensure students have a workplace that is both physically and emotionally safe, where they can focus on their research without having to worry about harassment or discrimination. Nevertheless, conflicts and scientific misconducts may still arise. It’s crucial to familiarise yourself with of the various resources available within the institute as well as its workplace harassment policy.

    If you encounter any of such, please talk to someone you can trust instead of resigning to the situation. If in situations where your PhD supervisor is not the right contact person, please reach out to any of the following listed contacts. All discussions will be treated with the strictest degree of confidentiality, it will be communicated to further or the correct body (or bodies) only with your permission.

    PhD Officer
    Having been a PhD student herself,  Dr. Zrinka Gattin understands firsthand the challenges, pressures, and uncertainties that can come with pursuing a doctoral degree. If you're feeling stuck, stressed, or just need someone to talk to about your PhD experience, don’t hesitate to reach out to her. She is here to support you, whether it's with academic hurdles or just navigating the ups and downs of PhD life.
    Chair of the PhD Committee / TAC Officer
    If you need help or have any questions about your Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC), please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Hagen Klauk.
    Gender Equality Officers
    The Gender Equality Officers promote and support young scientists irrespective of gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, cultural origin and sexual identity. They are here to assist you if you need advice on the compatiblity of research and family, or support in cases of sexual harrassment.
    Ombudsperson
    The Ombudsperson is a neutral and confidential contact person, providing advice and mediation on issues of good research practice and in cases of suspected scientific misconduct.
    Works Council

    The Works Council is an elected legal representative of all employees, postdocs, PhD students, and guest scientists. It ensures that the employer observes and implements statutes, ordiances, accident prevention regulations, collective labour agreements, and workforce agreements insofar as they are in favour of the workforce.

    Representative for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

    The Representative for Individuals with Severe Disabilities represents the interests of severely disabled persons and persons of equal status at the institute and works to ensure that they are not disadvantaged. 

    Another point of contact is the General Representative Council for Individuals With Severe Disabilities of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

    IMPRS-CMS Coordination Office
    If you’re unsure about a situation or who to reach out to, you can always reach out to us at the IMPRS-CMS Coordination Office.
    Further Resources

     

    PhD Community & Representatives

    Internal PhD Representatives
    The Internal PhD Representatives consists of PhD students from our institute (MPI-FKF) and our neighboring institute (MPI-IS). They are here as a resource for any PhD-related matters and also organise social events to bring the community together across the MPI campus. Some of their activities include:
     
    • hosting community building activities, such as game nights, Minerva Football Tournament
    • organising professional development workshops
    • arranging industry and research lab tours via the annual PhD Trip
    • serving as a communication channel between the student body and the MPI directors and administration
    • disseminating information about the resources available to MPI PhD students, such as the PhDnet, professional counseling, and our various support personnel such as the Works Council and Gender Equality Officer
     
    External PhD Representative
    Each institute has one External PhD Representative and they serve as a point of contact for PhD students to raise issues to the central Max Planck PhDnet. The current External PhD Representative for MPI-FKF is Myriam Wadsack
    Max Planck PhDnet
    The PhDnet consists of all doctoral researchers across the 86 Max Planck Institutes (MPIs) of the Max Planck Society. 
     


     

     

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