Resources


No, it's not just you. Grad School Confidential pulls back the curtain on the grad student experience, taking a candid look at the feelings that many of us leave unspoken.

Return to this page regularly for new resources to help you on your scholarly and personal journey. We'll provide a list of readings related to each show topic.

Resources on parenting (Episode 8)

Resources at the University of Alberta

University of Alberta Library's Family Corner
(an accessible child-friendly space on the third floor of Rutherford Library)
https://library.ualberta.ca/locations/rutherford/family-corner

"Students Who Parent" Resource Site (Graduate Students' Association) 
https://www.ualberta.ca/graduate-students-association/services/students-who-parent.html

Student Parents on Campus Group
https://www.ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/professional-development/parent-link.html

Articles

Dolson, J., & Deemer, E. (2022). The Relationship between perceived discrimination and school/work-family conflict among graduate student-parents. Journal of Career Development 49(1). 174-187.

Spies-Upton, S., & Hill, M. (2021, July 1). Perspectives on parenting as a graduate student amid the pandemic. The Gavel. https://www.apadivisions.org/division-18/publications/newsletters/gavel/2021/07/parenting-as-grad-student 

Springer, K., Parker, P., & Leviten-Reid, C. (2009). Making space for graduate student parents: Practice and politics. Journal of Family Issues 30 (4). 435-457.

Resources on finding balance (Episode 7)

Books and Websites

Anand, P. (2018). Building healthy boundaries: 14 different ways to say no. PsychCentral.com. 
https://psychcentral.com/blog/building-healthy-boundaries-14-different-ways-to-say-no#1

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: an easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. New York: Avery. 

Covey, S. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: powerful lessons in personal change. New York: Free Press. 

HelpGuide.org (2023). Stress management.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-management.htm

Long, D. (n.d.). An ER doctor on triaging your 'crazy busy' life. TEDx talk.  
https://www.ted.com/talks/darria_long_an_er_doctor_on_triaging_your_crazy_busy_life?language=en

Articles

Brus, C. (2006). Seeking Balance in Graduate School: A Realistic Expectation or a Dangerous Dilemma? Supporting Graduate and Professional Students: The Role of Student Affairs, 115, 31-45. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.214

Yusuf, J-E (Wie), Saitgalina, M., & Chapman, D.W. (2020). Worklife balance and well-being of graduate students. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 26:4, 458-483. DOI: 10.1080/15236803.2020.1771990.

Resources on trauma (Episode 6)

Articles

Coping with Highly Stressful or Traumatic Events
Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (2019).  My Mental Health: Coping with highly stressful or traumatic events. Edmonton: University of Alberta. 
https://www.ualberta.ca/media-library/ualberta/current-students/counselling/ccs_mhs_coping-traumatic-event_july2019.pdf

Recovering from PTSD: When to Seek Treatment
Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (2019).  My Mental Health: Recovering from PTSD: When to Seek Treatment. Edmonton: University of Alberta. 
https://www.ualberta.ca/media-library/ualberta/current-students/counselling/ccs_mhs_ptsd-when-to-seek-treatment_july2019.pdf

Dear Maddi: How do I stop living in the past when I have a history of trauma?
Counselling & Clinical Services, University of Alberta (2020). Edmonton: University of Alberta. 
https://www.ualberta.ca/science/student-services/student-life-engagement/wellness-matters/dear-maddi/2020/november/dear-maddi-trauma.html 

Resource Hub: PTSD and Trauma
https://www.helpguide.org/home-pages/ptsd-trauma.htm

PTSD Treatment Basics
https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/tx_basics.asp

Symptoms of Traumatic Stress and Grounding Techniques
McMaster University (2020).
https://svpro.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/02/Symptoms-of-Traumatic-Stress-and-Grounding-Techniques.pdf

Books

Life After Trauma: A Workbook for Healing
Dena Rosenbloom, PhD, Mary Beth Williams, PhD, and Barbara Watkins, PhD (2010)

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel Van der Kolk (2014)

Waking The Tiger
Peter Levine (1997)

Resources on depression (Episode 5)

Suicide Crisis Lines

Edmonton
Canadian Mental Health Association Distress Line  780-482-4357 (HELP)

Canada
Canada Suicide Prevention Service  1-833-456-4566

United States
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  1-800-273-8255

Other Regions
For a list of services in your region and around the world, access the “List of suicide crisis lines” on this Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines

Dealing with Depression

Depression & Coping Strategies 

Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (n.d.).  My Mental Health: Depression. Edmonton: University of Alberta. https://www.ualberta.ca/media-library/ualberta/students/university-wellness-services/ccs/handouts/english/depressionlong-version.pdf

A Psychologist's Guide to Graduate School

Maertz, Kim (n.d.). A Psychologist’s Survival Guide to Graduate School. Edmonton: Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta. https://www.ualberta.ca/media-library/ualberta/students/university-wellness-services/ccs/handouts/english/psychologists-survival-guide-to-graduate-school.pdf

Managing Depression During Self-Isolation

Counselling and Clinical Services, University of Alberta (n.d.).  My Mental Health: Managing Depression in Self-Isolation. Edmonton: University of Alberta. https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/counselling/resources/ccs_mhs_depression-isolation_may2020-1.pdf

Coping with Depression

Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. 2021. Coping with Depression. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm

Helping Someone With Depression

Smith, Melinda, Lawrence Robinson, and Jeanne Segal. 2021. Helping Someone with Depression. HelpGuide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/helping-someone-with-depression.htm

Articles

The Emotional Toll of Graduate School

Puri, Prateek. “The Emotional Toll of Graduate School.” Scientific American, Observations blog, January 31, 2019. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-emotional-toll-of-graduate-school/

Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation among Ph.D. Students

Satinsky, Emily N. et al. “Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation Among Ph.D. Students.” Nature: Scientific Reports 11 (2021), accessed Sept. 18, 2021, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93687-7

Resources on dealing with criticism (Episode 4)

Featured Resource

Haggerty, Kevin D. and Aaron Doyle. 57 Ways to Screw Up in Grad School: Perverse Professional Lessons for Graduate Students. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2015.

Contending with Criticism: Emotional Strategies

“Assert Yourself! Module 7: How to Deal Assertively with Criticism.” Centre for Clinical Interventions, Government of Australia. Accessed May 3, 2021. https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/CCI/Consumer-Modules/Assert-Yourself/Assert-Yourself---07----Dealing-With-Criticism-Assertively.pdf.

Grenny, Joseph. “How to Be Resilient in the Face of Harsh Criticism.” Harvard Business Review. June 17, 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/06/how-to-be-resilient-in-the-face-of-harsh-criticism.

Nawaz, Sabina. “How to Take Criticism Well.”  Harvard Business Review. April 2, 2019. https://hbr.org/2019/04/how-to-take-criticism-well.

“Sensitivity to Criticism.” GoodTherapy. Accessed May 3, 2021. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/sensitivity.


Academic Strategies

Bennett, Liz (guest author). “Learning to accept reviewer feedback as a gift.” Patter (blog), ed. Pat Thomson. March 24, 2014. https://patthomson.net/2014/03/24/learning-to-accept-reviewer-feedback-as-a-gift.

Murray, Rowena. “Responding to Reviewers’ Feedback.” In Writing for Academic Journals, 196-216. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press, 2009. 

Paré, Anthony. “Making sense of supervision: Deciphering feedback.” In The Routledge Doctoral Student's Companion: Getting to Grips with Research In Education and the Social Sciences, ed. Pat Thomson and Melanie Walker, 107-15. New York: Routledge, 2010. 

Resources on burnout (Episode 3)

Tools

Informal Screener for Burnout:

The Mind Tools Content Team. “Burnout Self-Test: – Are You at Risk?” Stress Management from MindTools.com. Accessed February 17, 2021. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_08.htm.

Toolkit on Self-Compassion:

Neff, Kristin. “Self-Compassion.” March 6, 2018. https://self-compassion.org/.


Articles

Cornér, S., Löfström, E., & Pyhältö, K. (2017). “The relationships between doctoral students’ perceptions of supervision and burnout.” International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 12, 91-106. Retrieved from http://www.informingscience.org/Publications/3754.

Dunphy, Claire, Jennifer Mandelbaum, and Mary Martinelli. “Tips for Beating Burnout in Graduate School: SBM.” Society of Behavioral Medicine. Accessed February 17, 2021. https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/tips-for-beating-burnout-in-graduate-school.

Kotler, Steven. “How to Recover from Burnout.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, January 19, 2021. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-playing-field/202101/how-recover-burnout.

Resources on impostor phenomenon (Episode 1)

Explore the following references:

  • Clance, Pauline R. "Impostor Phenomenon (IP)," Pauline Rose Clance, PhD, ABPP [website], https://paulineroseclance.com/impostor_phenomenon.html.
  • Cohen, Emma D. and Will R. McConnell. "Fear of Fraudulence: Graduate School Program Environments and the Impostor Phenomenon." The Sociological Quarterly 60, no. 3 (2019): 457-78.
  • Jostl, Gregor et al. "When Will They Blow My Cover? The Impostor Phenomenon Among Austrian Doctoral Students." Zeitschrift fur Psychologie 220, no. 2 (2012): 109-20.

Be sure to consult these excellent resources from the Yale Graduate Writing Lab:

And check out this article featuring the work of a UAlberta psychologist:

Watch for resources related to future shows (coming soon)