Social consultation

At the social consultation, students and PhD students can come to us with any questions or concerns they may have. There are no irrelevant or taboo subjects; anything that causes concern or raises questions deserves to be addressed. With our caring and non-judgmental approach, our goal is to make you feel safe to come and talk to us whenever you need to. 

Here are the topics most frequently addressed and for which we offer our expertise:

• Managing stress, fear and anxiety
• De-motivation
• Choice of studies and orientation
• Exam preparation
• Bouncing back from failure
• Family and relationship worries
• Conflicts
• Integration, loneliness, sadness
• Organisational and/or learning difficulties
•  Guidance with administrative procedures (social security, residence permits, etc.)
• Financial problems and social scholarships
• Study and exam arrangements in case of disabilities and/or chronic conditions

An issue is rarely linked to a single element: it can encompass several dimensions or involve different stakeholders. The Social Consultation is at the heart of this dynamic and provides you with its expertise and:

• knowledge of the problems frequently encountered by EPFL students and Phd students, enabling us to quickly understand your difficulties and provide you with guidance.
• knowledge of effective methods and stategies that emerged during our joint discussions with students ans Phd students during previous consultations.
• Knowledge of EPFL services we can contact to facilitate understanding and even resolution of your situation: Member of the Trust and Support Network / Registrar’s office / Doctoral school / Transversal Skills and Career Center / Student services / Human ressources / Housing Information.
• Knowledge of the external network of specialists in the fields of administration, social insurance, legal support, and services/associations related to specific topics to whom we can refer you if necessary.

Social Consultation is part of Student Affairs and has the following mission:

• Preventing disruptions in the academic career
• Detecting risks of precariousness
• Listen, support, and guide
• Promoting stepping back
• Identifying and highlighting the resources and skills
• Supporting decision-making and encouraging action
• Supporting the process of change

Our approach is essentially pragmatic. We begin with a phase of exploration and questioning in order to fully understand the student’s and PhD student’s request and situation. The format of the meetings can then vary considerably depending on the needs identified.

This process usually consists of six steps:

1. Welcome and explore the situation
2. Clarification of needs
3. Define objectives
4. Making the most of available resources
5. Working together to co-construct solutions
6. Monitoring implementation

Depending on your situation, we can tailor our meetings and offer to work with you in a targeted manner.

Solution-generation meeting

• Identify solutions that are already in place and reinforce them, or apply them with greater confidence.
• Stimulate reflection and the creation of new solutions through questioning.
• Suggest possible solutions or proven tools, including those used by other students and PhD students facing similar issues.
• Take concrete action together, such as developing a structured schedule or practicing stress management exercises.

Awareness and decision-making meeting

• Facilitate the analysis of the different components of a situation and help take a step back to make the best choices.
• Improve awareness of key elements by highlighting certain realities experienced by students and PhD students at EPFL.
• Analyze together various options and the possible scenarios that would result.

Planning and action meeting

• Identify and leverage your resources and skills to mobilize them more easily.
• Define clear objectives and detail the steps necessary to achieve them.
• Agree on concrete actions and consider their likely consequences.
• Support the change process through regular follow-ups.
• Discuss the conditions for studying more effectively and calmly.
• Discuss the factors that promote good mental health, which can prevent the onset of mental disorders or support recovery.

Meeting to influence perceptions and meanings

• Reflect together on what influences your values and beliefs in order to change them for the better.
• Offer you an alternative and more constructive way of considering or interpreting a situation or feeling.
• Address the mechanisms at play in areas such as stress, emotion management, and procrastination, in order to identify concrete courses of action to better manage them.

Our main references and tools come from the humanistic movement, which is based on the principle that each individual has within them the resources necessary to overcome their difficulties and find solutions.

Our approach is also systemic, as it is essential to consider the student’s and PhD student’s life context and interactions with their environment in order to fully understand their situation. The levers for action and change are often found in this environment, making it a key element in considering concrete solutions.

We also integrate a cognitive and behavioral approach by encouraging students and PhD student’s to develop more rational thinking, take action, and try out new habits.

We also keep abreast of the latest advances and research in neuroscience and positive psychology, particularly on the topics most frequently addressed in consultation.

The social councelors have extensive experience in counseling and mental health support. All three are social workers and have been trained in different approaches, enabling them to offer structured, creative, and solution-oriented support tailored to each student’s and PhD student’s specific needs.

Their professional and personal backgrounds, including international experiences, give them a broad perspective on the challenges students and PhD students may face, both academically and personally.

This plurality of perspectives allows them to simultaneously address issues related to mental health, academic success, and personal fulfillment, and to integrate these dimensions into truly personalized support.

Their practice is rooted in an approach inspired mainly by humanistic and cognitive-behavioral trends, with specializations in the following areas:

• Solution-focused approach
• Mental preparation
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• Public mental health
• Positive intelligence
• Eriksonian hypnosis
• EFT (emotional freedom techniques)
• Remedial education
• Neuro-semantics
• Coaching (ICF accredited) and specialized ADHD coaching

Rodrigue
Rodrigue supports students and PhD students with inspiring energy and an approach focused on empowerment and self-awareness. His mission is to promote resilience and overall well-being by helping each individual recognize their resources and mobilize them in their academic and personal journeys. Convinced of the richness of diversity and the importance of mental health, he encourages students and PhD students to develop their own tools to flourish and move forward with confidence.

Fanny

Attentive listening is at the heart of Fanny’s work. Curious and committed, she looks forward to welcoming you and supporting you throughout your studies. In this space for reflection, her goal is, among other things, to help you find solutions to the challenges you face in a demanding environment, mobilize available resources, and improve strategies for achieving a better balance. She supports students and PhD students in managing stress and anxiety, building self-confidence, preparing for exams, and dealing with moments of demotivation, procrastination, or sleep-related difficulties.

Damien
By listening attentively and asking targeted questions that encourage a comprehensive analysis of situations, Damien provides students and PhD students with a space to take a step back and reflect on their concerns. He knows how to create discussion dynamics that focus on generating and testing solutions. His structured support helps students and PhD students clarify their goals and make decisions that will shape their academic and personal futures. He is also the author of two books: one devoted to supporting young adults in vulnerable situations and the other to self-fulfillment in our complex and demanding societies.

The duration of the follow-up depends on your needs and may vary. It can range from one interview to around ten interviews.

Social consultations are provided in French and English and are free of charge for students and PhD students. 

On EPFL campus

• From an EPFL landline: 115
• From a personal mobile phone: 021 693 3000
• EPFL campus app : SOS

Out of EPFL campus

• Phone:  144

• Call center for on-call physicians : phone 0848 133 133

Assessment of the situation and assistance/redirection based on the person’s needs and location

• La Main Tendue phone 143 / chat: www.143.ch FR/ENG/IT
• Pro Juventute phone 147 / chat: www.147.ch FR/DE/IT
• Ontécoute.ch : chat: www.ontecoute.ch FR