End of Term Review 2 December 2015 Please note the format of the workshop will differ from this powerpoint Adam Sandelson LSE Student Counselling Service 1 Aims Review progress over the first term
Anticipate future challenges Practical approaches Stress management skills Sources of advice and help 2 Part 1 What progress have you made in the first term? 3 Initial challenges
Transition - leaving behind the familiar and adapting to the new Coping with loss, after initial excitement subsides Meeting new people Academic challenges 4 The Social Side of Settling in
Making new friends Meeting people from similar and different backgrounds Keeping contact with people from home Balancing from work and leisure. Being realistic about what to expect Give yourself time to adjust Looking after yourself - food and sleep
5 Settling in: The Academic side Adjusting to a new level of study Adjusting to self-directed learning Trying to keep previous standards Adjusting reading strategies Presentations and essays The tutor relationship
6 Academic challenges Feeling overwhelmed with material Adapting to a new style of learning Needing time to develop an independent critical voice Anxiety can lead to procrastination
We may disguise avoidance by being very busy 7 Reviewing expectations What were your initial expectations?
Social Cultural Academic How has your actual experience 8 Part 2 What are the future work challenges facing you as a
student? 9 Future work challenges Sustaining momentum Academic support Divergent tutor/ student expectations Essays, exams and the
dissertation Making decisions about the future jobs, internships, PhDs, location, relationships Sorting out your whole life in 1 year 10 Underlying dynamics
Trying to please others Wanting to be the best Being a perfectionist The family / historic context for your success, eg keeping the family together Setting yourself impossible targets Re-enacting anxiety, trauma, failure 11 Dynamics of study Past relationships Current relationships Relationship
with LSE or course of study or tutor or 12 Keeping perfectionism in check Perfectionist attitudes can reduce achievement
They deny you satisfaction and cause you to achieve far less Perfectionism is undesirable and an illusion! Experiment with your standards for success: try for 80% Focus on the process of doing an activity not just the end result. Evaluate success in terms of what you accomplished and whether you enjoyed the task 13 Part 3 What are the practical ways of
dealing with future challenges? 14 Practical approaches Revise and develop your study skills Time management skills Realistic and achieveable goals Short term targets and longer term
strategies Recognise achievements Concentrate on the task, not the outcome Talk to others, ask for help and support 15 Focussing on the task Break down huge activities into small manageable tasks Remember past successes - you are
likely to pass! Allow time for breaks space to breathe and think 16 Part 4 Review your Stress Management Skills 17 Stress Management Skills
Physical, behavioural, cognitive Regularly switch off with some kind of physical activity Good self care sleep, diet, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine Allow yourself time out without guilt Acknowledge anxiety, rather than denying it. Ask if your negative thoughts are realistic
18 Challenging negative thoughts Apply Socratic reasoning or imagine this being tested in a Court of Law Identify the negative thought
Eg, I cant do this Course Ascertain the evidence For and Against Ask if you are making a thinking error 19 Thinking errors All or nothing thinking Discounting the positive/ tunnel vision
Overgeneralizing only seeing the negative side of things because it happened in the past it will happen again in the future Believing a catastrophe will happen Emotional Reasoning If I feel it then it must be true 20
Evaluate your approach What are the biggest challenges facing you over the coming year Where can you most usefully improve your existing work 21 LSE Student Counselling Service KSW.507
Free and confidential Mainly short term counselling Book appointments in advance See Website for Stress management handouts Self help resources Relaxation MP3s Sources of advice and help
Academic Adviser Departmental Staff Disability and Wellbeing Service Student Services Centre TLC study skills advisors Learning World Student Union and Advice Centre Medical Centre Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisors Deans Don't wait until problems have grown impossibly large Its OK to ask for help earlier 23 Forthcoming Groups Stress Management Group (3 weeks)
Self Esteem Group (3 weeks) Therapy Group Places on all groups need to be booked in advance. Please see the website, Call Ext 3627, visit KSW.507 or email [email protected] 24
