MSc Clinical Health Psychology and Wellbeing

The MSc Clinical Health Psychology and Wellbeing is a unique programme in Dubai. Supporting physical and mental health is central in all areas of life and employment.

This Master’s degree integrates the promotion of health and wellness with a focus on mental and physical health and wellbeing. You’ll gain knowledge, and professional skills to enhance your career working with clients and patients in health and wellbeing related settings.

Why study MSc Clinical Health Psychology and Wellbeing at Middlesex University Dubai?

This MSc has been developed for psychology graduates (or a related discipline, such as health studies, counselling, mental health, nursing, public health, or education) and current health and mental healthcare professionals and school counsellors. This will develop their knowledge and skills and enhance their career opportunities.

During the programme, you will:

• Examine health and illness to understand the relationship between psychological variables and biomedical conditions, as well as physical and mental health and wellbeing in various work settings
• Focus on application and have the opportunity to apply your knowledge in a diverse range of areas, including formulation and assessment, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and health behaviour change
• Develop skills such as communication skills, ethical and reflective practice, judgment and decision-making
• Develop a work-based or information-based project in accordance with your employment situation and experience

For your project, students who are working in relevant fields of health care, education, and other helping behaviour industry will be developing a project in their current workplace. Alternatively, students who are not employed in a relevant field can source publicly available information to develop similar projects.

The workplace-based project and the alternative project based on available information about an industry would occur during term time (between February and April). The duration of both options is 8 weeks. They will be supported throughout in their work-based and information-based projects.

Please note that this programme does not lead to a therapy practitioner qualification.

Programme Content

This master’s degree allows you understand how psychology is applied to physical health and psychological wellbeing, and mental and physical ill health. During this diverse course, you will study topics such as counselling skills; interventions to promote health and well-being and to treat mental ill health; chronic illness and its management; health promotion and health behaviour change; and research methods.

The degree focuses on the application of psychological science to work and daily life and showcases the many fields covered by the psychology profession.

These include counselling, trauma and neglect, wellness and illness behaviour, and clinical health psychology. In each case, the understanding of human behaviour students gain can be generalised beyond the specific field of psychology. For example, counselling skills such as listening and re-formulating a problem are at the core of managerial skills.

Students will also gain insight into the role environmental factors, such as trauma and neglect, play in psychological well-being. The programme has a strong emphasis on research and analysis, which is inculcated through teaching these as modules and including in all taught modules.

One of the compulsory modules of this programme provides students with an opportunity to develop a work or information-related project. Students will be supported throughout, however due to licensure and other employment requirements in the sector regionally, the university is not able to provide placements to students for this programme.

Therefore, students undertaking the work-based project would be normally already working in a relevant area, such as psychology, healthcare, counselling, mental health, nursing, public health, education, and social welfare.

Students who do not currently have access to an appropriate setting for the work-based project will be able to apply theory to practice through a supervisor supported information-based project.

You will be encouraged to focus on both your personal and professional development in several areas, such as basic counselling skills, research skills, understanding the behavioural implications of physical and mental health, analysing, and appraising the usefulness and application of psychological theories, and becoming an ethical and reflective professional.

You will also be continually enhancing your employability by developing your decision making and communication skills as well as practising self-awareness and self-reflection.