ECU Master of Counselling

Accessible, flexible and accelerated
Study anywhere, anytime with ECU's flexible online format. This course is delivered in accelerated mode, allowing you to earn your degree and put your skills into practice sooner.
Fully supported
Be supported throughout your study journey by a personal Student Success Advisor and online learning community of like-minded students and friendly, accessible staff.
Job ready skills, relevant to industry
Gain a wide range of skills – identified and designed by industry experts – to meet the complex and evolving needs of individuals and communities.
Professional Recognition
The Master of Counselling has been accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

ECU’s online Master of Counselling provides advanced, evidence-based counselling knowledge and skills for professionals who want to make a difference to the lives of individuals, families and communities. Students may study this course to prepare to become a counsellor. Alternatively, they may wish to add to their existing skill set in roles including:

Social work
Career coaching
Psychology
Other allied health
Human resources
Youth work
Human welfare roles
Local government support/community development roles
Case work
Disability support work
Cognate undergraduate social science or behavioural science

See admission requirements or download a brochure for more information.

The course has 12 units of study made up as follows:

Ten core units
Professional field placement (equivalent to two units)

Core units

Foundations of Counselling Practice (Graduate Certificate)
Theories and Techniques in Counselling (Graduate Certificate)
The Role of the Counsellor (Graduate Certificate)
Ethics in Counselling
Counselling in a Digital World
Trauma Informed Counselling
Child and Adolescent Counselling
Counselling at the Cultural Interface: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Practice
Mental Health Counselling
Advanced Theories and Techniques in Counselling

Work Placement

Students will undergo 220 hours of professional placement with an approved organisation, including a minimum of 60 hours client contact, in which there is 16 hours of supervision. Professional placement can involve individual, group or couple counselling face-to-face or from a distance (online/remote). This provides you with the opportunity to apply theory to practice in a supervised setting.

The Placement Team works on behalf of students to source placements; however, please note students in rural or remote locations may need to assist with securing a placement (or be flexible on travel and location of placement). Students undergoing a placement will also require satisfactory completion of a Working With Children Check and National Police Check, and many agencies will require an interview with students prior to starting.

NOTE: It is anticipated that students will need to travel for the three-day intensive and placement component of the course. Both components will be held in Australia. The three-day intensive location is yet to be decided, but there will likely be an option of both Perth and an East Coast location. Students may also be required to travel to their nearest capital city to complete the placement component of this degree.

Admission requirements you’ll need to meet for this course:

Bachelor degree from a country specified in the Admissions Policy (with preference given to degrees relating to 'helping professions') OR Equivalent prior learning including at least five years relevant professional experience.
A personal statement about motivations to complete the course.
Submission of academic transcript, two referee reports and an online interview.
English Language requirements (Band 4).

Students looking to enter the Graduate Certificate of Counselling are required to submit documentation covering points one and four. Points two and three are covered during the Graduate Certificate component of the course.

Entry via nested qualification

Usually, if you successfully complete a Graduate Certificate, you can progress to the Masters by coursework degree.

What you will learn

Understand counselling in a digital world
Gain skills to effectively adapt to the field as it expands across the digital realm. Understand how theories and techniques of counselling can be translated and adapted for delivery across a range of modalities to connect with and support people in unique and far-reaching ways.

Develop a person-centred approach
Learn how to walk alongside individuals in a process that values difference, supports self-discovery, builds on unique strengths and recognises the interrelationships between individuals, communities and social structures as important platforms for healing.

Examine the roles of counsellors working at the cultural interface
Learn the skills and abilities needed to work in the community and actively promote a positive sense of identity, culture and heritage, with particular emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and practice.

Explore self-awareness and reflective practice
Engage in self-evaluation, critical thinking and reflective practice to gain a deeper understanding of the self, and how this interplays with the therapeutic process, personal growth and ongoing professional development.

2023 academic year student fees shown are subject to change. You may also be required to pay student amenities fees. Contact the university directly to confirm.

Fees shown are per unit. The number of units are listed below fees. Together they indicate the total fees for the course.

FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.

Edith Cowan University (ECU)

Master of Counselling