Mental Health and Spirituality Certificate

Mental Health and Spirituality

This certificate is jointly offered by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions and the School of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences and provides an interdisciplinary study of the relationship between psychology and religion as it relates to human development and human flourishing. The certificate will assist students to develop skills in understanding and working with issues related to the ways that individuals understand themselves in the context of mental and spiritual wellbeing.

Research into holistic approaches to understanding individuals has recognized that mental health and spirituality can be interconnected. This has led researchers to explore how spirituality relates to mental health in fields such as psychology, psychiatry, counseling, nursing and gerontology. This certificate is designed to expose students to research in the fields of psychology and religion to gain an awareness of the effects of spiritual reflection and practices on mental health and self-understanding. By bringing these fields into dialogue with each other, students will be able to integrate the respective insights from psychology and religion to their careers as psychologists, therapists, spiritual advisors and other social service fields.

This certificate is administered by the Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions.

Program requirements (15 hours)

  1. Any five courses from the following but no more than three courses with the same course code or in the same department may be counted toward the certificate: PSY 304(3), 307(3), 357(3); PSY 363(3) or GER 363(3); PSY 370(3) or GER 370(3); 411(3), 512(3), 525(3), 533(3); REL 338(3), 344(3), 346(3), 347(3), 348(3), 358(3), 370(3), 378(3).
  2. All candidates must satisfy the General University Certificate Requirements.