Program Overview

Certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience

The Certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience is a unique program that explores mental health from multiple perspectives and in various modalities. It is designed with flexibility and diversity in mind, offering participants individualized and interdisciplinary learning both in and outside the classroom.

About the Certificate

This program is designed to help students become mental health champions, build positive coping skills and resilience, and contribute to creating a community of caring. The certificate can be added to a degree program, allowing students to earn their degree while also gaining specialized knowledge in mental wellbeing and resilience.

Requirements

To earn the embedded certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience, students will complete 6 courses: 3 core courses (9 units) and 3 elective courses (9 units) chosen from the Mental Wellbeing and Resilience Course List. At least 1 elective course (3 units) must be taken at or above the 300-level. Elective courses may also be used for credit towards the student's degree program.

Courses

1. PSYCH 203: Psychology of Everyday Life - Discover ways in which psychology can be used to benefit your own wellbeing. Boost your interpersonal skills, broaden your resilience and coping mechanisms, and deepen your sense of identity.
2. WELL 300: Challenges of Intersectionality in Mental Wellbeing - Evaluation of cultural, structural, systemic, and/or socioeconomic issues related to positive mental health and wellbeing in today’s society, through an intersectional lens.
3. WELL 400: Capstone in Mental Wellbeing - Reflection and integration of experiential learning to engage in applied problem solving. Focus on helping students to become agents of change, fostering mental wellbeing in the community.

Elective Courses

There are more than 100 undergraduate courses offered in various faculties that are approved as elective courses for the embedded certificate in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience. Some examples include:

• Cumming School of Medicine:
  • HSOC 201: Introduction to Health and Society
  • HSOC 301: Determinants of Health
  • HSOC 403: Advanced Topics in Social Determinants of Health
  • HSOC 591: Advanced Seminar in Health and Society
  • CORE 569: Mental Health and Disability
• Faculty of Arts:
  • ANTH 331: Sex and Gender
  • ANTH 341: Medical Anthropology
  • ANTH 363: Magic, Witchcraft, and Gods: Anthropology of Religion
  • ANTH 399: Special Topics in Anthropology (Contemporary Indigenous Issues in Canada)
  • ANTH 441: Problems in the Anthropology of Health
  • ART 309: Foundations of Art Education
  • ART 311.20: Topics in Art (Approaches to Art Therapy)
  • ART 342: Art Education Across the Lifespan I
  • ART 344: Art Education Across the Lifespan II
  • ARTS 507: Collaborative Learning and Peer Mentoring
  • ARTS 509: Research in Peer Mentoring and Higher Learning
  • CMCL 305: Modernity
  • CMCL 307: Contours of Contemporary Culture
  • COMS 393: Critical Perspectives on Health and Science
  • COMS 501: Research in Selected Topics
  • DEST 375: Gender and Development
  • DEST 591: Critical Perspectives on Development Practice and Research
  • ECON 349: The Economics of Social Problems
  • ECON 379: The Economics of Health
  • ECON 481: Behavioural Economics
  • FILM 307: Topics in Cinema and Gender Studies
  • FILM 501: Research in Selected Topics in Film Studies
  • GSXS 201: Talking Gender and Sexuality
  • GSXS 311: Theorizing Gender and Sexuality
  • GSXS 503: Community Service Learning
  • GRST 323: Ancient Medicine and the Mind
  • HTST 450: History of Social Policy in Canada
  • INDG 303: Indigenous Ways of Knowing
  • INDG 395: Topics Indigenous Gender, Sexuality and Feminism
  • INDG 492: Indigenous Psychology (cross-listed as PSYC 492)
  • INDG 493: Animal-Human Relationships
  • LWSO 335: Equality Issues
  • LWSO 337: Self-regulation
  • PHIL 259: Sex, Love and Death
  • PHIL 337: Philosophy, Feminism, and Gender
  • PHIL 347: Contemporary Moral Problems
  • PHIL 383: Philosophy and Psychology
  • POLI 279: Politics of the Global South
  • POLI 283: Issues and Trends in World Politics
  • POLI 357: Introduction to Public Policy Analysis
  • POLI 379: The Politics of Development
  • POLI 406: Greek Love and Wisdom
  • POLI 408: Indigenous Governance
  • POLI 447: Comparative Public Policy
  • POLI 451: Public Administration
  • POLI 481: The Politics of Human Rights
  • POLI 505: Sexual Ethics
  • POLI 506: Social and Global Justice
  • POLI 579: Political Economy of Development
  • PSYC 204: Human Sexuality
  • PSYC 385: Psychopathology
  • PSYC 431: Current Issues in Psychopathology
  • PSYC 433: Clinical Psychology
  • PSYC 435: Behaviour Modification
  • PSYC 437: Health Psychology
  • PSYC 439: Psychology of Gender
  • PSYC 442: Intergroup Relations
  • PSYC 443: Interpersonal Relationships
  • PSYC 457: Social and Clinical Aspects of Aging
  • PSYC 479: Human Neuropsychology
  • PSYC 459: Developmental Psychopathology
  • PSYC 521: Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience
  • RELS 309: Religious Experience
  • RELS 360: Buddhist Practice Traditions
  • RELS 444: Existentialism
  • SOCI 301.07 – Topics in Sociology (Social Contexts and Health)
  • SOCI 303 – The Sociology of Gender
  • SOCI 321: Sociology of Health and Illness
  • SOCI 409: Social Determinants of Health
  • SOCI 493.7: Special Topics in the Sociology of Work (Issues in the Workplace)
• Faculty of Kinesiology:
  • KNES 311: Leadership Foundations
  • KNES 344: Gender, Sexuality, and Sport
  • KNES 397: Health and Exercise Psychology
  • KNES 399: Sport Psychology
  • KNES 411: Advanced Leadership Practice
  • KNES 431: Art of Coaching
• Faculty of Nursing:
  • NURS 287: The Science of Health I: Communities and Populations
  • NURS 288: Supporting Health I: Communities and Populations
  • NURS 289: Integrating Nursing Roles & Practices I: Learning, Praxis, and Scholarship in the Practicum Setting
  • NURS 387: The Science of Health II: Families in Transition
  • NURS 388: Supporting Health II: Families in Transition
  • NURS 503.49: Selected Topics in Nursing (Addictions/Mental Health)
  • NURS 503.5: Selected Topics in Nursing (Vulnerable Populations)
  • NURS 517: Philosophy and Practice in Palliative Care
  • NURS 589: Integrating Nursing Roles and Practices V: Learning, Praxis and Scholarship in the Practicum Setting
• Faculty of Science:
  • NEUR: 421: Neuroscience: History, Ethics and Society
  • SCIE 511: Peer Mentoring and Collaborative Learning in Science
• Faculty of Social Work:
  • SOWK 201: Introduction to Social Work
  • SOWK 303: Practice with Individuals in Context
  • SOWK 307: Practice Skills in Context
  • SOWK 361: Professional Use of Self
  • SOWK 391: Practice and Evaluation with Individuals
  • SOWK 393: Practice and Evaluation with Families
  • SOWK 395: Practice and Evaluation with Groups
  • SOWK 551.02: Selected Topics: Social Work Interventions (Loss and Grief)
  • SOWK 553.03: Selected Topics: Fields of Practice (Gerontology)
  • SOWK 553.08: Selected Topics: Fields of Practice (Social Work in Health Care)
  • SOWK 553.15: Selected Topics: Fields of Practice (Mental Health)
  • SOWK 553.35: Selected Topics: Fields of Practice (Mental Health and Trauma)
  • SOWK 553.37: Selected Topics: Fields of Practice (Indigenous People and Trauma)
  • IPHE 501: Interprofessional Practice in Mental Health
• Haskayne School of Business:
  • MGST 453: Ethical Leadership
  • OBHR 317: Organizational Behaviour
  • OBHR 491: Lifework Planning and Career Assessment
• Schulich School of Engineering:
  • ENGG 481: Technology and Society
• Werklund School of Education:
  • EDUC 309: Early Childhood Development
  • EDUC 314: Mindfulness and Well-Being in Higher Education
  • EDUC 445: Individual Learning: Theories and Applications
  • EDUC 450: Diversity in Learning
  • EDUC 530: Indigenous Education
  • EDUC 551: Comprehensive School Health and Wellness

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the certificate, successful students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a multidisciplinary, holistic, research-informed understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
• Evaluate cultural, structural, systemic and socio-economic challenges related to positive mental health and wellbeing through an intersectional lens.
• Develop skills of healthy coping including self-care, mindfulness and resilience.
• Recognize stigmatization of mental health issues and illnesses as well as best practices in stigma reduction.
• Implement strategies to support themselves and others' mental health.
• Critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative evidence relating to mental health and wellbeing.
• Reflect and articulate personal values about mental health and wellbeing with respect to self-care, empathy for others and resilience.