Psychology of Wellbeing Course
Take a deep dive into the connection between psychology and wellbeing, learning practical and impactful solutions to boost wellbeing for you, your whānau and the people you work with, using the latest research and health models.
Price
Domestic learners
$315 NZD incl GST where applicable
International learners
$1,004 NZD incl GST where applicable
Qualification
Domestic learners: Micro-credential | 5 points
International learners: Continuous professional development
Duration
50 hours | about 6 hours a week
Entry times
14 July - 14 September 2025
Future dates
29 September 2025
2 February 2026
27 April 2026
13 July 2026
28 September 2026
Enrolments open for July
Overview
Understand the science behind psychological wellbeing. Developed by Professor Julia Rucklidge.
In Professor Julia Rucklidge’s wellbeing series, you’ll learn how to boost and enhance the different aspects of hauora (health) through nutritional interventions, lifestyle changes, and the psychology explored in this course.
Is there a secret to a happy life? With a wealth of information promising us the answers, it can be hard to know where to look and who to trust. In this online course, renowned expert, Professor Julia Rucklidge, unlocks the science behind the psychological health factors that influence wellbeing, and how to get the best out of your brain.
You’ll learn how it’s possible to change your mindset for the better, using practical, research-based strategies to boost wellbeing for you, your whānau and the people you work with.
Whether you’re a health professional looking to upskill with the latest research; someone who’s struggling with burnout, anxiety or stress; or a manager looking to boost your team’s wellbeing and resilience, Psychology of Wellbeing is for you.
This course is ideal for
- Health industry professionals
- HR professionals
- Managers
- Teachers
- Parents
The information in this course is intended for general education purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek advice on diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions from your doctor or other registered healthcare professional.
What you'll learn
- How wellbeing can be defined and understood in different ways
- The relationship between psychology and wellbeing, exploring topics such as what makes us happy and how our thinking processes affect our overall wellbeing
- How to recognise and avoid common negative thinking traps that consume our thoughts, influence our decisions and affect how we feel and behave
- How to develop effective and specific strategies to enhance personal wellbeing and/or the wellbeing of others, through changing thought processes
Course outline
Our courses are flexible, enabling you to plan your study around your other commitments. You can choose to study when it suits you during the learning period (14 July – 14 September, with a one-week study break from 11 August – 17 August), followed by a 2-week review period for marking and feedback (15 September – 28 September).
We recommend completing around 6 hours of study a week during the learning period (excluding the study break) – you can view the course overview here for more details on assessment timings.
Module 1: Introduction to wellbeing and the role of psychology
Learn about the impact of psychological factors on our wellbeing and become confident using the language of wellbeing.
Module 2: What makes us happy?
Explore myths of happiness, whether you can trust your intuition, and the genetic dispositions that can influence wellbeing.
Module 3: Psychological traps to wellbeing
Understand and identify the common pitfalls that hinder our wellbeing, including negative thinking traps.
Module 4: Faulty thinking and how to beat it
Explore strategies and plans to boost wellbeing, including cognitive interventions.
Module 5: Values, strengths and behaviour
Learn and define what factors empower ongoing wellbeing, and identify your own signature strengths.
Assessments
- 4 Module quizzes = 20% (5% each)
- 4 Reflection activities = 40% (10% each)
- 1 Final report = 40%
Upon successful completion of the course you will be issued a digital badge to recognise your learning achievements. This can take up to 2 months to be delivered after the marking and feedback period.
Testimonials
Karyn
Psychology of Wellbeing
"I enjoyed the topic, content, variety of learning methods (audio, visual, interactive), forum interaction with other students, support & communication from our tutor. Also the flexibility of online learning."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"Thank you for all of the support and encouragement. The best paper I have taken for many years."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"I found the online lectures particularly helpful. I found the amount of reading required perfect. I did not feel swamped by the requirements and the level and amount kept me looking forward very much to engaging with the course."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"I liked the way it was divided up into modules which made it easy, digestible chunks of learning. The highly interactive content and subject matter, and the depth of learning was very satisfying. I have gained so many valuable insights, tips and strategies. It certainly delivered and exceeded my expectations."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"Well paced, easy to manage in my own time, but also very interesting - so I didn't want to procrastinate!"
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"I enjoyed the mixed media and links to different learning. The support and understanding of the student advisors was great."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"This reminded me of past work I have done on mindfulness and positive thinking, and helped me to get back on track with my well-being journey."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"I found the content very affirming and particularly appreciate links to references, books etc that I can now follow up in my own time to expand on learnings from this course."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"The course was worth it, great to get a broader understanding of wellbeing. Thoroughly enjoyed the micro credential style learning."
Learner
Psychology of Wellbeing
"[The facilitator] was incredible as I navigated return to study "doubts"... she was practical, supportive, encouraging. It was most appreciated."
Rachel
Psychology of Wellbeing
"[I enjoyed] the way the information is condensed and presented in a an engaging way which is easy to understand. I also like the variety of ways that we could engage and participate. I will definitely be looking to do more of these courses."
Requirements
If you're under 20 years old, you’ll need University Entrance or an equivalent to enrol. If you’re aged 20 or older, you can usually gain entry through 20+ admission so long as:
- You are a citizen or hold a NZ Residence Class Visa of New Zealand or Australia, or are a citizen of the Cook Islands, Tokelau, or Niue; and
- Are 20 years of age or older by the official course start date.
You'll also need to be confident listening, reading and writing in English.
Technology requirements
We recommend a laptop or desktop computer and a reliable internet connection. For most courses you'll need to download and populate assignments. These are usually available in Microsoft Word.
Course fees
Course fees must be paid before learning can begin, either via online credit-card payment, or by contacting info@uconline.ac.nz to request an invoice. Please note: fixed invoice payment dates apply, so we recommend getting in touch with us as soon as possible to request an invoice, as this option is subject to availability.
Group discounts
Get your colleagues together to take advantage of our group discounts:
- 10% for 3 - 6 learners
- 15% for 7+ learners
Contact our Partnerships Manager to learn more and enquire now.
Cap & minimum enrolment threshold
A minimum number of learners is needed for effective interaction and feedback, while a maximum cap of learners ensures high quality learning and support. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course isn’t met, or the maximum cap is exceeded, learners will be given the option to defer their study or receive a refund.
Crediting this course towards a degree
In certain cases the points from this course can be credited towards further study with UC. Learn more about cross-crediting and recognition of prior learning.
Our people
Julia Rucklidge is in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury. She's the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab.
Over the last twenty years, Julia has become well known for her research investigating the interaction between nutrition and mental health and has published over a hundred empirical papers.
Julia has received numerous local and international awards and is frequently featured in the media discussing her work. Her TEDx talk, The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health has been viewed over five million times.
She also co-authored the 2021 book, The Better Brain: Overcome Anxiety, Combat Depression, and Reduce ADHD and Stress with Nutrition.
Having seen conventional treatments fail so many, Julia is passionate about helping people find alternative treatments for psychiatric symptoms. By translating her research into practice, she hopes to help make nutritional interventions mainstream.
Please note: our academic team develop and present video content within their courses, but are not always the course facilitator. The course facilitator will engage with learners in the course forums, answer queries and mark assignments.
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