Ph.D. and Dissertation Coaching

Are you feeling lost or overwhelmed trying to earn your PhD? Are you spinning your wheels, stressed out, and frustrated? Do you need someone to answer your questions and provide support? You might need PhD coaching and you are not alone. Many bright and talented doctoral students struggle to complete their degrees. In fact, between 25% and 50% of PhD students drop out, with the majority citing the lack of support as a major contributing factor in their decision to leave academia. That’s what PhD and dissertation coaching is for and why I founded Graduate Student Success, to provide academic and dissertation help to students struggling to complete their degrees.

Help for Doctoral Students

Sometimes grad. school feels like someone dropped you off on an alien planet with an incomplete translation dictionary and a travel guide from the ’80s. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. There is help! That’s why I started Graduate Student Success Coaching, because too many capable graduate students, like you, were struggling to finish their PhD with their sanity intact. Worst of all, they weren’t struggling because they lacked talent, skills, or dedication, but because they weren’t getting the support and advisement they needed to make it through. Data suggest that between 25% and 50% of PhD students don’t finish their degrees, with most citing lack of support as one of the major contributing factors in their decision to leave.

No matter what stage of a PhD you are in (completing coursework, studying for quals or prelims, developing your dissertation idea, conducting your research, or writing the darn thing), I can teach you the strategies you need to succeed more efficiently and with less stress.

It Is Not Your Fault

You knew going into it that graduate school was going to be a lot of work. What they didn’t tell you is that suddenly you’ll be expected to balance courses, exams, research, TAing, family, and possibly a job, all while trying to complete a dissertation; the largest project you may have ever undertaken. It’ll be taken for granted that you’re great at planning, productivity, problem-solving, and project management even though you may never have been taught these skills. It even has a name, The Hidden Curriculum.

Even students who have developed these skills struggle. Advisors often don’t have the time to give every student the attention they need. After all, they have their own research, teaching, and family responsibilities. And heaven forbid you’re neurodivergent, trying to succeed in a system that often ignores your needs, with advisors who often don’t understand.

That’s what dissertation coaching is for and that’s why I’m here. Whether you are trying to balance more responsibilities than you’ve ever had; have had a setback that has left you second-guessing yourself; are struggling with stress, perfectionism, or imposter syndrome; or are fighting against procrastination, I can help you lower stress, improve productivity, and get you moving through your degree efficiently.

How A Dissertation Coach Can Help

Graduate school is challenging but it doesn’t have to consume your life. You can be a graduate student and still be happy! It doesn’t have to be a constant battle against stress and fatigue. You don’t have to give up having fun. PhD coaching can help you with:

The Graduate Student Mindset

• Reduce feelings of overwhelm
• Improve confidence
• Manage test anxiety
• Overcome burnout
• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Preserve work-life balance
• Defeat the perfectionism demon

Productivity Coaching

• Improve time and energy management
• Prioritize and strategize
• Increase efficiency
• Develop organizational skills
• Keep you accountable

Dissertation Coaching

• Strengthen research skills
• Improve your writing
• Clarify your research questions and methodology
• Organize and make your dissertation manageable
• Defeat writer’s block
• Deal with challenging advisers or committee members
• Handle feedback with grace and aplomb
• And most of all: FINISH! FINISH! FINISH!

Ph.D. Coaching: I Can Help You

With a B.A., in psychology, a master’s in Public Health, and a PhD in Epidemiology, I know the tricks to navigate the education system. After 10 years in research as a Mental Health Epidemiologist balancing anywhere from 5 to 12 research projects simultaneously, I’ve developed numerous strategies for efficiency, planning, and organization. Now it’s been nearly a decade of providing PhD and dissertation coaching to graduate students from around the world.

I know that I can teach you the skills, tricks, and techniques for succeeding in graduate school faster and with less stress. I’ve helped students just like you overcome the challenges of graduate school so you can finish your degree.

These are just some of the problems I’ve helped clients overcome:

• Students whose test anxiety caused them to fail all or most of their comps/prelim exams
• Students who worry they don’t belong in graduate school
• Single parents overwhelmed with work, school, and family care
• Students with ADHD who needed help with organization, prioritization, and time management
• Students who procrastinate so badly that they can’t start anything until just before it’s due
• Students who have become so lost in the weeds on their dissertation that they’ve been spinning their wheels for months (longer in some cases) with little to show for it
• Students with absentee advisors and little guidance on how to move forward
• Students receiving vague, unconstructive criticism on things like writing or research skills
• …and many more

I’m so confident that I can help you finish your degree that I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, no questions asked. So, if you’re ready to get started, all you have to do is schedule a free PhD coaching consultation. I’ll call you and we’ll chat about what you need and how I can help. No muss, no fuss, and no pressure.

Why Do Bright Students Need a Dissertation Coach?

You might be wondering, “But I’m a PhD student, shouldn’t I be able to do this without coaching?” Lots of bright, talented students need PhD coaching or dissertation help. Sometimes:

• School has come easily so far but now the sheer volume of work is overwhelming.
• Students are trying to earn their PhDs while balancing multiple responsibilities, like caregiving or employment.
• Students aren’t getting the kind of advisement they need to succeed because, let’s be frank, good researchers don’t always make good advisors.
• A student is neurodivergent and struggles to navigate a convoluted academic system, with unwritten rules, which wasn’t built with diversity in mind.
• Students are overcoming a setback or have otherwise stalled in their degree and need help getting back on track.
• Students just want to become more efficient so they can finish their degrees faster and move into their careers.

Whatever your reasons for seeking out PhD coaching, I’m here to help. Schedule a free consultation call with me today by clicking the calendar button below. It’s quick, easy, and confidential, and might be exactly the help you need to finish your dissertation and earn your degree.

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