Social consultation

Solution-oriented support and a listening ear for EPFL students and Phd students

Please don’t wait until you have a bunch of bad days. When you start having bad times, contact us!

Social councelors are on campus to offer you support, work with you to find personalised solutions and refer you to the right specialists if necessary. This involves working on:

• the here and now, based on your needs
• developing your resources
• what can be done to get better

Our role

• Preventing disruptions in the academic career
• Detecting risks of precariousness
• Verbalizing difficulties and reassuring
• Promoting stepping back
• Identifying and highlighting the resources and skills
• Supporting decision-making and encouraging action
• Supporting the process of change

Our field of action

Studying at EPFL offers a stimulating, new and demanding working and living environment that confronts students and Phd students with new challenges. Life can also bring new situations for which an outside perspective or help can be useful.

The topics covered are as follows:

• Managing stress, fear and anxiety
• De-motivation
• Choice of studies and orientation
• Exam preparation
• Bouncing back from failure
• Family and relationship worries
• Conflicts
• Integration and isolation
• Organisational and/or learning difficulties
• Administrative issues
• Financial problems and social scholarships
• Study arrangements in case of disabilities and/or chronic conditions

What we bring

A 6-step approach to help you resolve the situation using your own resources:

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

Knowledge of:

• the problems frequently encountered by EPFL students and Phd students, enabling us to quickly understand your difficulties and provide you with guidance.
• EPFL’s internal support network (Trust and Support Network), with whom we can collaborate if necessary.
• the external network, so that we can refer you to other available resources: administration, social insurance, legal support, services and associations on specific topics.
• EPFL services and a privileged link with, in particular, the Registrar’s office, the Doctoral school and the Transversal Skills and Career Center, with whom we can connect to help you understand and resolve your situation.

Support, advice and guidance for:

• what can be done at EPFL to adapt studies and exams for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses. For more information, click here.
• EPFL social scholarships applications and the financial implications. For more information, click here.

…

The social consultations gave me a safe space to hear my own thoughts and feelings out loud and equipped me with great tools to understand them.

The social consultations allowed me to overcome my fears, regain my zest for life, and my determination. I highly recommend it!

Making appointments/requests for information

[email protected]

• Monday to Friday
• by appointment
• free of charge
• confidential
• in English or French
• face to face or online

Link with internal partners

The social consultation is member of the EPFL Trust and Support Network

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Keys to success

The social consultation provides resources to support you

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