Mentoring in Challenging Situations

Trainer: Dr Mary Joan Camilleri - Head of Counselling Services
Target Audience: UM Academic members of staff
Course duration: 12 hours 

Training approach

This course has been developed in a highly interactive format and will combine theory and functional practice. It will be organised in the format of small focus groups, where participants are given the opportunity to brainstorm and share their ideas with their peers, whilst also identifying their perceived learning gaps and training needs in the area of mentoring. This will also give the trainer the opportunity to identify the training needs of the participants. 

Course structure and learning outcomes

This course will be divided into six modules of two hours and will cover the following topics. 

Module 1: Formation and Mentoring as tools to support personal and professional development in students.

• Participants would be informed about various mentoring styles and supported to adopt one which is relevant to their situation and personality.

Module 2: Teaching vs training – understanding diverse learning styles and adapting one’s training approach. 

• Participants would understand the concept of learning how to learn and how to support students to recognize their learning styles.

Module 3: Communication and active listening skills.

• Participants would understand the model of communication, various levels of intelligence and their use when actively listening to the mentee.

Module 4: Conflict Resolution and Constructive Criticism – self-evaluation supporting recognition of conflict styles in others.

• Participants would understand their conflict style and default conflict resolution techniques, evaluate efficacy and adapt their approach to a more appreciative style.

Module 5: Dealing with challenging situations in students – suicide protocol / case studies

• Participants would learn about suicide and suicidal persons, challenging behavior and would discuss the suicide protocol currently in use in University of Malta.  They would discuss how to use what they have learnt so far in challenging situations.

Module 6: Self-support and developing resilience – tools for self-care as a mentor.

• Participants would be taught burnout prevention skills and how to critically self-reflect supporting self-development.