Psychology of Wellbeing

Understand the science behind psychological wellbeing

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.

Developed by Professor Julia Rucklidge.

 

Overview

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.

Testimonials 

  • "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

 

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 (15 July - 15 September, with a one-week study break from 12 - 18 August), followed by a 2-week review period for marking and feedback (16 - 29 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.  


Requirements

There are no prerequisites for this course. It's for anyone interested in understanding the current research on nutrition and wellbeing.

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.

Minimum enrolment threshold

Please note: Tuihono UC | UC Online has a minimum enrolment threshold that must be met to enable opportunities for interaction, discussion, and feedback. If the minimum number of enrolments required for a course is not met, enrolled students will be given the option to defer their enrolment to the next course date, 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

Dr Julia Rucklidge - Wellbeing series

Professor Julia Rucklidge

Professor | Clinical Psychology

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 4.7 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.