Mental Health Mentoring (PhD)
Built around the researcher
First, the student sets out what is getting in the way right now. Sessions then respond to their project, their supervisory relationship and the stage their research has reached.
Practical and reflective
For example, a session may combine planning a difficult writing week with reflecting on the patterns that affect motivation, isolation or attendance at supervisions.
Accountable, not managed
The mentor does not direct the research. Instead, they help the researcher stay accountable to themselves and test strategies they can reuse for the rest of the doctorate.
What mentoring can address
The pressures particular to doctoral study
A PhD is long, largely self-directed and often solitary, so the barriers differ from those of taught study. Mentoring works with the ones the researcher names.
- Imposter syndrome and the fear of being found out
- Isolation and loneliness across a multi-year project
- Difficulties in the supervisory relationship
- Sustaining momentum through fieldwork, analysis and writing up
- Managing wellbeing alongside teaching, funding and deadlines
How specialist mentoring for PhDs works
A clear setup helps the researcher and mentor use the agreed time purposefully.
01
Confirm support
UMO checks the approved role, hours, funding route, delivery method and relevant access information.
02
Agree priorities
Next, the researcher and mentor discuss the current stage of the project, the pressures around it and what would count as progress.
03
Develop strategies
Sessions use practical and reflective approaches that fit doctoral work: writing routines, supervision preparation, workload and wellbeing.
04
Review progress
Finally, the researcher reviews what helped and adapts their approach as the project and their circumstances change.
Current hourly rate
Specialist mentoring for PhDs prices
One hourly rate applies to this service. Who pays it depends on the funding route agreed for the student.
Standard rate
Specialist mentoring (PhD)
Applies to direct university referrals and to approved funded support
£65.50 excluding VAT, per hour
Therefore, the invoicing arrangement follows the funding route confirmed at referral. Contact UMO if the route has not yet been agreed.
What this support is not
Mentoring is not clinical treatment, and not supervision
Specialist mentoring is not counselling, psychotherapy, diagnosis or medical care, and it does not substitute for academic supervision or comment on the quality of the research.
However, mentors are experienced, accredited mental health professionals and work within agreed safeguarding and escalation procedures. Where a researcher needs clinical care or academic input, the mentor supports them to reach the right service or their supervisory team.
Topics researchers may bring to mentoring
The exact focus remains individual. In addition, priorities change across the years of a doctorate.
Confidence and belonging
Working with imposter syndrome, comparison with peers and the sense of not belonging in a research community.
Structure and momentum
Finding workable ways to start, prioritise and sustain long stretches of self-directed work.
Supervision and expectations
Preparing for supervisions, making implicit expectations explicit and raising difficulties constructively.
Isolation
Recognising the effects of working alone and building sustainable contact with others.
Wellbeing under pressure
Noticing patterns, planning realistic routines and protecting rest through demanding phases.
Strengths and self-advocacy
Understanding which approaches work, and communicating support needs to supervisors and departments.
Funding, role matching and university responsibilities
Funding and equality arrangements depend on the researcher’s circumstances and on how their support has been approved.
DSA, SAAS and direct funding
Postgraduate researchers may be supported through DSA or SAAS where mentoring addresses an assessed need, and universities also fund this support directly.
The approved role matters
The formal NMH role is Specialist Mentor – Mental Health (SM:MH). UMO matches a mentor qualified for the role named in the referral.
University duties continue
Funded mentoring does not replace reasonable adjustments, supervisory arrangements or the support a department provides to its researchers.
Trusted information about postgraduate study and support
These official and independent sources explain funding, disabled-student support and mental health information.
GOV.UK: Disabled Students’ AllowanceCurrent information about eligibility, needs assessment and approved support.(opens in a new tab) OIA: supporting disabled studentsGood-practice guidance on access, information and providing support.(opens in a new tab) NHS mental health informationInformation about mental health conditions, treatment and where to get help.(opens in a new tab)
Questions about specialist mentoring for PhDs
Answers for researchers, disability teams, needs assessors and other referrers.
Eligibility and funding
Who is this support for?
It is for postgraduates studying for a PhD whose mental health, wellbeing or neurodivergence is affecting their research. The appropriate role and provision are considered individually.
Is mentoring only available through DSA?
No. Universities also fund this support directly, and SAAS funds approved support in Scotland. The route affects invoicing rather than the mentoring itself.
What does it cost?
£65.50 excluding VAT per hour. Who pays depends on the funding route confirmed at referral.
How do I make a referral?
Use the referral form and include the approved role, the number of hours, the funding route and the researcher’s delivery preference.
Role, delivery and sessions
How long and how often are sessions?
Sessions are usually weekly and last between 30 and 60 minutes. The pattern can be adjusted around fieldwork, writing-up and other demands.
Are sessions remote or in person?
Either. Sessions are delivered online across the UK, and in person where a mentor is available locally.
Who delivers the mentoring?
An experienced, accredited mental health professional matched to the approved role named in the referral.
Does the mentor talk to my supervisor?
Not without the researcher’s agreement. Mentoring is confidential within UMO’s safeguarding procedures, and many researchers use it to prepare for supervisory conversations rather than to replace them.
Arrange specialist mentoring for a PhD student
Share the approved role, number of hours, funding route and delivery preference, and UMO will match a qualified mentor.