Positive Health Coaching
The MSc in Positive Health Coaching is designed to complement your prior training and experience and introduce the key concepts and findings from positive psychology, positive organisational scholarship and coaching psychology and to train you in the coaching skills necessary to help individuals implement them.
| Award Name | Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 9 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 9 NFQ |
Duration
2 years part-time blended.
Entry Requirements
To be eligible for the programme you must:
Be working in a relevant sector (e.g. healthcare, allied health, management or equivalent) with coaching experience.
Hold a level 7 or level 8 degree, or equivalent in a health-related area (medicine, nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, etc.) and have an understanding of the biology that underpins health.
or
Hold a level 7 or level 8 degree, or equivalent in a psychology-related discipline (e.g. clinical psychology) and have an understanding of the biology that underpins health, as part of undergraduate or postgraduate training.
Further information
Why study positive health coaching at RCSI Dublin?
RCSI is one of the world’s leading educational institutions in medicine and the health sciences. Today, the University is ranked in the top 250 universities worldwide, as well as being ranked number one in the world for SDG3 ‘Good Health and Well-being’ in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2023.
The RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences, established in 2019, is the first of its kind globally that integrates the emerging scientific discipline of positive psychology into lifestyle and integrative medicine. The Centre provides evidence-based resources to help enhance understanding of the critical role that behaviour plays in optimising health and well-being. In particular, we are interested in how the mind, brain and body interact in the context of maintaining health and wellness.
The Centre’s faculty are actively engaged in research to understand brain-body systems in health and disease and to apply the principles of positive psychology to optimising well-being and health. We are particularly interested in optimising health through public and academic education and by assisting organisations in the healthcare, educational and corporate sectors to foster well-being in their workforces. The faculty are also experienced in research and practice in psychology, immunology, pharmacology, physiotherapy, coaching, and lifestyle and integrative medicine.
There is a rapidly developing body of research pointing to an emerging paradigm shift in both our understanding of many diseases and our approach to caring for patients and preventing illness in those who are well. The broad areas of research include lifestyle and personalised medicine as well as the emerging fields of positive psychology, positive organisational scholarship and coaching psychology. The significance of developments in these disciplines, combined with rapid developments in technology, is that individuals will become much more involved in maintaining their own health and will engage, when necessary, with health services as full partners in the process.
The increasing role of individuals in maintaining and maximising their own health is being driven not only by new research but also by economic considerations. States are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the increasing burden of chronic lifestyle-related diseases especially in ageing populations. The solution will not be solely to develop more and more high-cost interventions but to assist individuals to maintain their own health for as long as possible.
Much of the research underlying the above developments is new and there is a need to collate and disseminate evidence-based findings that can contribute both to patient care and to maximise the wellbeing of healthy individuals. The MSc in Positive Health Coaching is designed to complement your prior training and experience and introduce the key concepts and findings from positive psychology, positive organisational scholarship and coaching psychology and to train you in the coaching skills necessary to help individuals implement them.
Accredited by the National University of Ireland and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, this level 9 programme is a two-year, part-time academic programme. The course is delivered using a blended approach of digital and on campus learning and is suitable for Healthcare and allied health professionals that have experience in coaching, mentoring or management.
Module 1: Modern health and wellbeing approaches (fully online) Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 2: The pillars of lifestyle medicine (fully online) Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 3: Positive health in practice (fully online) Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 4: Foundations of evidence-based coaching Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 5: Positive psychology coaching Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 6: Becoming a reflective practitioner Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 7: Research methods and methodology Credits: 10 ECTS
Module 8: Research proposal and portfolio Credits: 10 ECTS
This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:
Acquire a systematic understanding of knowledge of the foundational scientific principles that underpin lifestyle medicine, positive psychology and positive approaches to healthcare.
Acquire and demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate and challenge assumptions, values and beliefs underpinning traditional and emerging approaches to healthcare.
Acquire and critically apply a range of foundational methods and tools to assess and improve one’s own health and to understand the application of such approaches to others and to healthcare systems.
Acquire a systematic understanding of the factors that shape the wider health environment and demonstrate the capacity to identify key stakeholders and understand their roles in relation to the emergence and future development of positive healthcare approaches, especially in the context of diseases of lifestyle.
Demonstrate the capacity to critically evaluate and apply emerging positive health interventions using an evidence-informed approach.
Critically appraise a selection of relevant current literature, synthesise judgements on scientific validity and best practice based on available evidence and reflect on the implications for one’s own understanding and application.
Acquire and apply knowledge of theories of change relating to coaching psychology and psychological theories relating to behavioural change.
Demonstrate the ability to deploy conversational skills during coaching conversations.
Acquire and demonstrate the capacity to assimilate best practice in theory and application of the most commonly employed research methodologies.
Demonstrate the ability to identify the most appropriate interventions and techniques from the fields of coaching and positive psychology.
Examine and be able to articulate the importance of ethics and integrity in coaching practice.
Demonstrate an ability to undertake critical reflective practice to enhance coaching ability and continue to grow as a professional.