Wellbeing workshops and coaching for researchers

It’s not you. It’s academia.

Online wellbeing workshops for researchers

In academia, the emphasis is almost always on the research, not on the people doing it. And I simply can’t be having with that, so…

My small-group wellbeing workshops for academics are all about providing a grounded, nonjudgemental space in which you have time and space to think about your own emotions, needs, and plans. I lead with care, compassion, and honesty, using my lived experience of academia and my professional background in psychology research and research communication to inform both content and delivery. You’ll leave with evidence-based tools to help you cope with life in academia and beyond.

Whether you want help dealing with the horrors that a career in research can throw at you, support in figuring out how and when to say no, or simply to learn a coping technique that isn’t meditation, I’ve got your back.

I suggest activities for discussion and self-reflection, and there is always time to talk to me and other attendees, but you absolutely do not have to share anything you don't want to - if you want to come along just to listen, that’s fine too.

If you want to know more about me and my approach before you book, check out my About Me page.

(P.S. These workshops are for individual researchers. If you’re looking for a trainer to deliver tailored wellbeing workshops for a team or organisation online or in person, I do that too. Drop me an email to enquire!)

You are not just a researcher. You are a whole person.

1: 1 career and wellbeing coaching for researchers

I offer online career and wellbeing coaching for researchers (and ex-researchers!) at any stage of their career. I’m happy to spend coaching sessions on either or both of those topics.

In coaching I take a largely nondirective approach, instead providing grounded, nonjudgemental support and scaffolding for you to figure out where and who you are now, where and who you want to be in the future, and how you want to get there. I won’t try to hand you a solution to whatever challenges you’re facing, but I can provide you with a calm, nonjudgemental space to talk about the things that you can’t say to your manager or your supervisor..

I particularly love supporting people who are neurodivergent, because I have ADHD myself and I know there’s nothing quite like talking to someone else who gets it. I also love supporting people who are in career transitions, whether that’s between different stages of an academic career, or moving out of academia to a different type of work.

If you want to know more about me and my approach before you book, check out my About Me page.

Affordable coaching for academics

I want my coaching to be accessible to as many people as possible and I know that early career academics are often under severe financial pressure so:

  • I offer a sliding scale of fees. If you are in the early stages of your academic career (PhD or postdoc), on a low income, have a fixed-term employment contract, or are otherwise under financial pressure, an single coaching session with me costs £65 rather than my standard fee of £75. The sliding scale works on an honour system so I won’t ask for an explanation or proof. If you say you need it, that’s good enough for me. And if you are able to afford standard-cost sessions, you’re also making it possible for me to offer lower-cost sessions to other clients, so thank you!

  • I charge a monthly fee for blocks of 3 or 6 sessions rather than asking you to pay the whole cost up front. Block-booking is great for me because it helps me have a more predictable income stream (I do need to pay the bills!) so I also offer a discount of 5% for blocks of 3 and 10% for blocks of 6, for both standard-cost and lower-cost coaching. Blocks of sessions are valid for 7 months from the day you purchase them and you can spread them how you want in that time, though I recommend giving yourself at least a couple of weeks between sessions. For example, if you buy a block of 3 and use them within 6 weeks, that’s fine - your payments are still spread out over three months.

How to book lower-cost sessions:

  • For a single coaching session, use the code SLIDING-SCALE at checkout to apply a £10 discount.

  • For blocks of 3 or 6 sessions, select the lower-cost sessions from the list of booking options.

  • Coaching get-to-know-you chat

    30 minutes

    Free

    For people who are new to coaching with me

    Book

  • Single coaching session

    1 × 50-minute coaching session

    £65 - £75

    Book

  • Block of 3 coaching sessions (save 5%)

    3 × 50-minute coaching sessions

    £61.75 - £71.25 per month for 3 months

    Use within 7 months

    Book

  • Block of 6 coaching sessions (save 10%)

    6 × 50-minute coaching sessions

    £58.50 - £67.50 per month for 6 months

    Use within 7 months

    Book

What you get when you work with me

I'm Dr Clare Jonas: skills trainer, research communicator, and former academic.

When you work with me, you get:

  • My 10 years' experience of working in research communication and 20 years' experience of teaching, training, coaching and mentoring adults

  • My extensive education in psychology and neuroscience

  • My first-hand knowledge of working in academia (and burning out of academia) as someone with ADHD

  • My ability to assess research evidence and distil it into tangible ideas that you can use in your everyday life

  • My genuine delight in learning who you are and empowering you to develop skills to support your career and personal wellbeing

  • My deep personal commitment to kindness, honesty and integrity

  • And a lot of dad jokes, because my sense of humour is an important part of who I am (and gentle humour can be make it easier to learn new things and to regulate emotions when you’re talking about potentially challenging topics like wellbeing)

If you want to know more about me and my approach, check out my About Me page.

  • “Clare brings a wealth of experience to her workshops and sessions but what comes through the most is that she cares about people. Her focus on your experience and wellbeing as a researcher is refreshing and stands out in what can be a very competitive and outcomes-focussed area.”

    - Dr Graham McClelland, Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, Northumbria University

  • “The insights I gained from Clare’s workshop on academic wellbeing have been one of the most valuable experiences for my professional development to date.”

    - Dr Nick Evans, Senior Clinical Lecturer, University of Cambridge

  • "I found your academic wellbeing workshop powerful and liberating. We are all being pushed to speak loud of our successes and achievements but keep the struggles to ourselves even though we all know they are part of the journey. Being open about the challenges that come with the job at both professional and personal levels means we can learn from and support each other."

    - Dr Niki Chouliara, Lecturer in Psychology

  • "I attended Clare's workshop on coping with academic stressors while working as a researcher on a fixed-term contract within a big university. The demands and expectations of my role and sourcing future research funding weighed heavily on me, so learning about Clare's well-thought out coping strategies and her active encouragement to think outside the box was so helpful to my personal development and my wellbeing."

    - Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman, Lecturer in Dementia and Ageing, GIAM, University of West London

  • "Clare's workshop set me up with key skills for coping with academic life. What I learned that day has been tremendously helpful to me in the years since."

    - Sam W, wellbeing workshop participant