Students should seek professional help to prevent severe mental health challenges resulting from loss, Dr Sizakele Matlabe-Danke, acting Chair of the Department of Educational Foundations and Vice-President of Unisa’s Women’s Forum, told postgraduate students at a wellness session hosted by the College of Graduate Studies (CGS) on 7 August. The session, "From Grief to Growth: Navigating Loss and Building Resilience as a Graduate", was attended on MS Teams by students from around the world.  

Dr Sizakele Matlabe-Danke, acting Chair of the Department of Educational Foundations and Vice-President of Unisa’s Women’s Forum

The aim was to raise awareness about the challenges and health problems that can be caused by loss, particularly for postgraduate students navigating their academic journeys.

Matlabe-Danke spoke from experience as she was busy with her doctoral studies when her husband died, and she had to cope with several personal challenges. She emphasised that loss often precedes grief, and that it can disrupt one’s life story if it is not attended to. A significant portion of health issues stem from loss-related psychological problems, she warned. The loss may be the death of loved ones or the loss of dreams or financial stability.

"Take charge of the situation, remain positive and seek professional help when needed. Find your passion, align it with your research, and surround yourself with supportive and constructive individuals," she encouraged the audience. She also suggested the following: "Investigate the opportunities for engaged scholarship projects at Unisa as this can provide valuable experience and mentorship."

Matlabe-Danke referred students to the various support services that Unisa offers postgraduate students. These include free counselling, bursaries and funding that cover tuition fees and editing work, legal services through the law clinic and a diverse range of workshops.

CGS also hosted a wellness session on 13 June. The theme was "Overcoming psychosocial hindrances as a postgraduate student". 

On 13 July, postgraduate students from 46 countries attended the fourth annual Research Methodology Indaba hosted by CGS. Titled "Navigating the Research Landscape", this year’s event provided an in-depth examination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and mixed methods research. Postgraduate students could either attend the hybrid format event in the Senate Hall at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus or the streamed online version.

This is a flagship programme of the School of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies. The aim of this popular event is to equip students with a nuanced understanding of various research paradigms and their practical applications.

CGS social media information on postgraduate student support

CGS also offers a comprehensive series of face-to-face and online workshops and training sessions to assist postgraduate students on their research journey. These include a session on "Sample selection techniques for honours students" and sessions on "Proposal development", "Research data management" and "Writing for publication". Students are also invited to open student sessions on scheduled Mondays where they can find support for any challenges they are facing in their research. A full list of these events are available here: honours students and master’s and doctoral students.

In addition, students can find support and information on the different social media platforms that were created specifically to support Unisa’s postgraduate students. CGS’s YouTube channel offers valuable support for students who cannot attend the live training sessions or those who want to watch the sessions again. They are also invited to become members of either the Facebook page for honours or the one for master’s and doctoral students where they are guaranteed to benefit from the ongoing discussions.   

To improve the supervision offered by Unisa’s internal and external supervisors, they are also receiving training sessions throughout the year.

According to Prof Tennyson Mgutshini, Executive Dean of CGS, the college offers support on all levels, from wellness to training sessions and workshops, as they want Unisa’s postgraduate students to be successful and complete their studies in the shortest possible time. He made the following pertinent remarks: "These students are from all over the world and at times they may feel lonely and find their studies challenging as they are faced with personal challenges or technical issues... When they attend the wellness and other workshops and training sessions, they are reminded that they are not alone and that CGS and Unisa offer a range of services to support them."

More information about the support services that are available to students can be found at the following links:

• Visit the Psychotherapy Clinic for information on the available support and wellness services
• For legal matters, visit the Unisa Law Clinic
• CGS research support
• Postgraduate bursaries

* By Hanli Wolhuter, Communication and Marketing Specialist, College of Graduate Studies