VZM33 Mental Health Promotion

Faculty of Education
Autumn 2026
Extent and Intensity
0/2/2. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Viktor Pacholík, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
RNDr. Mgr. Alice Prokopová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
RNDr. Mgr. Alice Prokopová, Ph.D.
Department of Physical Education and Health Education – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Andrea Špačková
Supplier department: Department of Physical Education and Health Education – Faculty of Education
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Abstract
The objective of the course is to present the area of health psychology with a focus on supporting mental health, disease prevention, and effective methods of supporting mental health, both theoretically and practically based on self-experience.

The objective of the course is to introduce the issue of stressful, threatening and crisis situations so that the students are able to think about this issue in context and understand the risk and protective factors of mental health in stressful, threatening and crisis situations.
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course the students will:

  • Understand the protective and risk factors of mental health, including their associations and contexts,
  • Have a profound understanding of the psychological correlations of stressful, threatening and crisis situations in the life of an individual,
  • Be able to use the knowledge for preventing or mitigating these situations,
  • Be able to apply the knowledge in the area of promotion of mental health and prevention of mental diseases.
Key topics
  • 1. Psychology of health, basic concepts;
  • 2. Protective and risk factors of mental health;
  • 3. Various theoretical approaches to mental health protection;
  • 4. Psychotherapy – various psychotherapeutic directions – basic overview;
  • 5. Personality change from various perspectives;
  • 6. Efficient factors of mental health promotion;
  • 7. Methods of mental health promotion I;
  • 8. Methods of mental health promotion II;
  • 9. Methods of mental health promotion III;
  • 10. ‘Flow phenomenon’ – an inspiring concept in the context of health promotion;
  • 11. Significance of self-reflection, self-knowledge;
  • 12. Selected methods aimed at self-knowledge.
Study resources and literature
  • CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI, Mihály. Flow : o štěstí a smyslu života. Translated by Eva Hauserová. Vydání druhé, upravené,. Praha: Portál, 2015, 326 stran. ISBN 9788026209188. info
  • CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI, Mihály. Creativity : Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. First Harper Perennial Moder. New York: Harper Perrenial Modern Classics, 2013, viii, 456. ISBN 9780062283252. info
  • KRATOCHVÍL, Stanislav. Základy psychoterapie (Foundations of psychotherapy). Praha: Portál, 2006, 283 pp. Portál 5.verze. ISBN 80-7367-122-0. info
  • ŠPATENKOVÁ, Naděžda. Krizová intervence pro praxi. Vydání 1. Praha: Grada, 2004, 197 stran. ISBN 8024705869. info
  • KŘIVOHLAVÝ, Jaro. Pozitivní psychologie. 1. vyd. Praha: Portál, 2004, 195 s. ISBN 80-7178-835-X. info
  • KŘIVOHLAVÝ, Jaro. Psychologie zdraví. Vydání druhé. Praha: Portál, 2003, 279 stran. ISBN 8071787744. info
  • Health psychology. Edited by Anthony J. Curtis. New York: Routledge, 2000, xvi, 190 p. ISBN 0415192730. info
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Teaching takes place in two ways: A and B simultaneously (with B following on from A):

A - Regularly throughout the semester as a case study seminar, in which selected topics are presented and discussed through case studies relating to various types of stressful, psychologically threatening, and crisis situations. As part of a narrative approach, students and the instructor analyze real, authentic problems (or life "stories").

B - One-time, in the form of a full-day, exclusively practical teaching block (at the end of the semester), designed as a self-experience group focused on selected specific methods of mental health support.

Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
The conditions for successful completion of the course are
    (within A) active participation in case study seminars and presentation of a seminar assignment - a specific case study, and (simultaneously):
    (within B) either active participation in a self-experience group (block teaching) focused on methods of mental health support, or submission of a seminar paper focused on a selected aspect of mental health support (assignment and instructions - see "Teacher's information")
Alternate completion
In exceptional cases, it is possible to complete the course in an alternative form; the specific form will be determined by agreement between the instructor and the student.
Language of instruction
Czech
Study support
https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/ped/podzim2026/VZM33/index.qwarp
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
https://is.muni.cz/auth/predmet/ped/podzim2026/VZM33
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024, Autumn 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2026, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/autumn2026/VZM33