Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice for Doctoral Students

We would like to inform you of in an exciting new venture which is being developed by a team from the College of Social Science in partnership with the Doctoral School.

Studying for a PhD is an amazing opportunity, but it can also be a difficult and stressful time. PhD students often report feeling isolated, and uncertain about the quality of their work and the progress they are making. In recent years, we have seen a growing number of mental health problems in PhD students (Levecque et al, 2017) and this is starting to attract attention both in the UK and around the world.

In response to this, at Lincoln we have decided to take positive action by offering a programme to our students that will help them to identify and focus on their strengths, become more self-aware and therefore better equipped to deal with the challenges that the PhD brings.

We are planning to run a trial to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice programme among Doctoral students. Mindfulness-Based Skills Practice (MBSP) is an established eight week programme that brings together the practice of mindfulness and the practice of character strengths. It includes discussions, meditations, strengths practices, lecture input and homework exercises. The programme was devised and developed by Ryan Niemiec (2014) and has been used in a variety of populations and settings showing positive effects. It has never previously been used with Doctoral students.

If you are interested or have a student who would be interested in taking part in the study, we are hosting two information events where we will tell you more about the programme and give you an opportunity to try out some of the activities that you would be participating in.

The information events have been scheduled for;

• 26th March, 11am – 1pm – Book your place.
• 11th April, 11.30am until 1.30pm. Book your place.

If you cannot make the information events but would still like to find out more about the project, contact doctoralschool@lincoln.ac.uk.