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Ph. D students, trained to research in a professional environment, supervised by senior researchers may face delicate situations. The Ph. D students path usually lasts 3 years and does not automatically translate into a positive experience for Ph. D students and their supervisors. In a broad context, where researches face increasing constraints, the objective of our study is to highlight the positive situations that lead to the acquisitions of competences and on the other hand the negative ones that can be harmless for health. The study was run in a research institute following the request of a Human Resources manager, who was concerned with the deteriorating health of the Ph. D students in his institute. Method follows mainly the analysis of critical incidents experienced during the Ph. D journey, and gathered through interviews with both Phd students and supervisors. These incidents help to understand the drivers and barriers to favorable situations and underline the interpretation issue in interactions. A cross observation on the incidents underline the importance of a third party intervention in case of incident, as a shared resource between Ph. D students and supervisors. Results also highlight the importance of trust, as the heart of the relational dimension. Besides, the integration of the Ph. D in a collective from the start of his training is a trigger to the skill development and the quality of the supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]