What Is a Dissertation Coach and How Can They Help Me?

When you’re deep in the weeds of dissertation research and writing, it’s extremely common to feel isolated and overwhelmed. The path of writing a dissertation is anything but straight, and challenges will inevitably crop up that can leave you questioning whether you’ll ever see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

If you’re feeling stressed about your dissertation or stuck at a certain point and struggling to make forward progress, a dissertation coach might be the solution you didn’t know you needed. But what exactly is a dissertation coach, and how can they help you make meaningful progress?

Today, we’re unpacking what dissertation coaching is all about and exploring how working with a coach can support you during your PhD journey.

Understanding Dissertation Coaching

Many graduate students face challenges with various aspects of the dissertation process. One systematic review of the common challenges that PhD students struggle with identified several external and internal factors (Sverdlik, Hall, McAlpine, & Hubbard, 2018). The external factors included supervision, departmental support, and financial opportunities, while the internal factors included motivation, writing skills, and academic identity (Sverdlik et al., 2018). 

If you find yourself struggling with any of these challenges — especially internal factors — a dissertation coach may be able to help.

Dissertation coaching is not the same as tactical services like document editing or formatting. Instead, working with a coach offers a personalized, one-on-one support system focused on supporting you with things like: 

  • Strategies and resources for navigating different stages of the dissertation research and writing process
  • Accountability and timelines for staying on track with your dissertation progress 
  • Overcoming the inevitable roadblocks that come up while you’re working on your dissertation

When you work with a dissertation coach, they’ll help you identify strategies and develop a plan that works for you and your unique needs as a graduate student, which often extend beyond the dissertation itself. For example, some individuals struggle with balancing personal and professional responsibilities while writing their dissertation, and others struggle to communicate with their supervisor or chair. A dissertation coach is there to listen and provide resources and support to help you overcome whatever challenges you’re facing with confidence.

Many times, coaching involves guidance on: 

  • Goal setting
  • Time management
  • Overcoming procrastination
  • Addressing writer’s block

Dissertation coaching is a tailored approach that recognizes the personal and emotional aspects of the dissertation journey, providing strategies and techniques to help you stay motivated and make consistent progress toward your goals.

How Is a Dissertation Coach Different from a Dissertation Advisor?

A female graduate student stands on a sidewalk outside thinking about dissertation coaching

You might be thinking, “Isn’t that what my advisor is for?” Not quite. While dissertation advisors are incredibly helpful for providing subject matter expertise and academic guidance, they often don’t have the time to offer the ongoing, individualized support that a coach can provide.

Advisors are there to review your drafts, make suggestions on your research, and ensure you’re meeting program requirements. Some advisors become close mentors who offer you career guidance and even connect you with their network and introduce you to opportunities for presenting or publishing your research. But it’s important to keep in mind that advisors typically work with multiple graduate students at once, in addition to their own teaching and research — they simply don’t have enough bandwidth to provide every graduate student with individualized, ongoing support. 

A dissertation coach, on the other hand, acts more like a trusted guide who helps you navigate the process itself — keeping you accountable, helping you overcome roadblocks that come up, and offering practical strategies to help you maintain the momentum toward your goals. 

In other words, it’s the difference between a supervisor who oversees your work and a personal trainer who helps you build the habits and skills to complete it successfully.

5 Benefits of Working with a Dissertation Coach

Partnering with a dissertation coach can help you in many different areas. Let’s look at five benefits that we often hear about from our dissertation coaching clients.

Accountability and Structure

One of the biggest challenges PhD candidates face is finding a structure that keeps them consistently moving forward. The dissertation process can be long and unstructured, especially for arts and humanities candidates writing lengthy, essay-style dissertations. Facing an enormous writing project of this nature can cause you to procrastinate or get off track. 

A coach will help you establish a dissertation timeline and realistic goals, providing a framework to keep you accountable. With regular check-ins, your coach will help support you in making steady progress — and address any emerging issues before they become significant setbacks.

With the right structure in place, you’re more likely to feel a sense of control and steady momentum as you make progress.

Time Management and Productivity

As a PhD student, it’s common to struggle with balancing dissertation work with teaching, research, family obligations, or even a full-time job. A dissertation coach can help you develop a realistic schedule that accommodates your different responsibilities while still prioritizing your dissertation. This includes helping you identify and eliminate time-wasters (ahem, Instagram), breaking down tasks into manageable chunks, and creating daily habits that support productivity.

Imagine feeling confident about balancing your dissertation work with your other responsibilities, instead of guilty or frazzled. For example, if you’re raising young children, your coach may work with you to identify pockets of time when you’re able to give your dissertation your undivided attention. That might look like writing for 30 minutes in the morning before your kids wake up, or working at a coffee shop for a couple hours every Saturday while your partner or a family member cares for them.

Overcoming Writer’s Block and Perfectionism

Every writer faces writer’s block at some point in their career, and the same goes for writing your dissertation. It’s incredibly common to feel paralyzed by the very thought of writing — either because you don’t know where to start, or maybe because you feel like every word has to be perfect. 

A dissertation coach can help you break through these mental barriers by providing techniques to get words on the page, even if they’re not “perfect.” Through practice and different exercises that help retrain your brain, you’ll be able to approach your writing by focusing on small accomplishments over perfection, and feel comfortable leaving your writing unpolished until you reach the editing phase.

By reframing your thinking about the writing process, you’ll be able to write more freely by knowing that editing comes later — giving you permission to move forward without the pressure of perfection.

Building Confidence and Reducing Stress

Writing a dissertation can feel like climbing a mountain that just keeps getting taller. It’s perfectly normal to question your abilities along the way. Instead of feeling isolated or overwhelmed by self-doubt, dissertation coaches offer a safe space to voice your fears and frustrations, which can be incredibly reassuring. They understand that the dissertation journey is both an intellectual and emotional challenge and offer support to help reduce stress and build the resilience you need to keep going.

It’s important to keep in mind that dissertation coaches are not trained psychologists or therapists, however. If your coach becomes concerned about your mental health, they may talk to you and recommend that you seek professional support from a licensed provider. At the end of the day, the goal of dissertation coaching is to help you gather all the resources you need to be successful, and sometimes that means additional mental health support.

With the personalized guidance and encouragement of a trusted dissertation coach, your confidence will grow as you make guidance, celebrate your achievements along the way, and keep track of how far you’ve come.

Navigating Feedback and Revisions

Receiving feedback on your dissertation (or your prospectus, or your proposal) and figuring out how to address it can be daunting, especially when the comments you receive are overwhelmingly critical. Keep in mind that it’s completely normal to receive critical feedback on your graduate work; it’s a natural part of the process as you learn to be a scholar — your professors will provide you constructive feedback to help you improve as a writer and researcher.

It can be incredibly helpful to have the perspective of a neutral third party like a coach to help you step back, remove the emotion from things, and assess the feedback objectively. With a fresh perspective and the guidance of your coach, it will be easier to process feedback from your advisor or committee, understand what changes are necessary, and incorporate them without feeling overwhelmed. 

PhD coaches have also been through this process themselves, and they may also have experience as professors themselves. This means that they have personal experience with providing and receiving feedback, and they can share strategies and tools to help you with the revision process. Their goal is to help you find ways to make the edits more manageable and help you take the steps needed to improve your work with every new draft.

Is Dissertation Coaching Right for Me?

While many graduate students find it helpful to work with a dissertation coach, it isn’t for everyone. If you have a strong support network and hands-on dissertation advisor, faculty mentor, and committee, you may already have all the guidance and resources you need. However, many students who don’t count on such comprehensive support find it beneficial to partner with a dissertation coach. Working with a coach may be particularly helpful if you’re struggling with:

  • Procrastination or lack of motivation
  • Time management and balancing other responsibilities
  • Writer’s block or difficulty starting the writing process
  • Conducting the literature review
  • Feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the project
  • Navigating the feedback and revision process

If you recognize yourself in any of these, or similar, scenarios, coaching could be the key you need to keep progressing toward your goal. If you aren’t sure, it never hurts to speak with a potential coach and see if it’s a good fit. 

For more guidance on choosing the right dissertation coach, stay tuned for our next article.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

The dissertation process can feel like a lonely process, but it doesn’t have to be. Getting help from a coach can help you take control of your journey and feel more empowered and in control. With the structure, support, and targeted strategies your coach offers, you’ll be able to keep moving forward in your graduate journey with confidence.

Remember, everyone’s PhD path is unique, and so are the challenges you face along the way. Whether you’re just starting out or you’re knee-deep in revisions, having a coach by your side can make a big difference.

If you’re interested in speaking with a dissertation coach, we have a fantastic team of experienced coaches ready to help. Get in touch to schedule a free consultation.

References

Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: A review of the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and well-being. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 361–388. https://doi.org/10.28945/4113

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