Mental Health and Well-Being in the University.
In this episode we talk about mental health and well-being in Academic’s job. How many times have you felt frustrated with your research or studies? How much stress and anxiety have you managed while coping with a deadline or a rejection? Are you sleeping enough? Are you able to enjoy your free time and holidays? Or are you a 24/7 slave of your data and research nightmares? Don’t worry; you are not the only one. Today we try to identify the causes and explore possible solutions that could make our journey into the academic career easier.
For this, we have the pleasure to introduce two amazing guests who are visiting us today, which could help us bring some light to the topic of mental health and well-being in the Academy. First, I am glad to introduce Annabel Battersby, Clinical Psychologist based in Helsinki. She is currently working at Compass psychology and offers clinical psychology services to long-term foreign residents, locals and expatriates living here short-term. In addition to her practice expertise, she also has a large experience as researcher and teacher within the academia.
Also, we are pleased to welcome Kirsi Pyhältö, Professor of Higher Education, in the Faculty of Educational Sciences, Center for University Teaching and Learning, at the University of Helsinki, and also a extraordinary professor at University of Stellenburg, South-Africa. She is one of the three founding co- leaders of Learning and Development in School -research group. Her research interest include, school development, teachers’ professional agency, and teacher well-being.
About Surviving the Academia
The program’s objective is to perform a brief analysis of the current situation of the Finnish universities, and the perspectives for the future considering organizational, sociological and pedagogical aspects. During the episodes we will explore different topics related with the university life that influence those who aim to build their academic career. These topics are approached from three main perspective: 1) The lack of resources that scientific research has nowadays due to the economical crisis and the COVID-19. 2) The difficulties to build up an academic career for researchers within universities and 3) The new and trendy University models which try to build bridges between the academia and the private sector and its impact on the structural and pedogeological impact on the institutions. We will explore these topics together with others relevant debates by interviewing both workers and students in a friendly atmosphere that enables them to share opinions and ideas that promote a healthy debate.
Credits
Producer & Host: Jose Cañas-Bajo
Guests: Annabel Battersby, Kirsi Pyhältö
Sound recording, editing & live streaming: Bailey Polkinghorne
*The audio piece was recorded at the Helsinki Open Waves performance & recording room located at Caisa.
**The views expressed in this audio piece and texts are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of Helsinki Open Waves.
***If you have any feedback regarding the content of the podcast, please contact us via helsinkiopenwaves@gmail.com.