Graduate Certificate of Counselling

What you will study

To complete the Graduate Certificate of Counselling, you must pass four credit points. This includes:

• Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points compulsory unit) in your first study period.
• Four credit points of core units.

Trimester 1 Entry

Trimester 1

• Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)
• Principles of Counselling and Telehealth
• Ethical and Legal Issues in Counselling

Trimester 2

• Mental Health Counselling
• Lifespan and Developmental Counselling

Trimester 2 Entry

Trimester 2

• Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)
• Mental Health Counselling
• Lifespan and Developmental Counselling

Trimester 1

• Principles of Counselling and Telehealth
• Ethical and Legal Issues in Counselling

Entry requirements

Selection is based on a holistic consideration of your academic merit, work experience, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements and individual circumstances. You must meet the minimum academic and English language proficiency requirements to be considered for selection, but this does not guarantee admission.

Please note that this course has limited places and entry is competitive. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible. If all spots are filled, applications for this course may close before the published closing date.

Academic requirements

To be considered for admission to this degree, you will need to meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Completion of a bachelor's degree or higher.
• At least two years' relevant work experience (or part-time equivalent).

English language proficiency requirements

To meet the English language proficiency requirements of this course, you will need to demonstrate at least one of the following:

• Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) English Units 3 and 4: Study score of 30 in English as an Additional Language (EAL) or 25 in any other English.
• IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with no band score less than 6.5) or equivalent.
• Other evidence of English language proficiency (learn more about other ways to satisfy the requirements).

Outcomes

Career outcomes

The course has been designed to foster practical counselling skills that can be applied in-person, over the phone or online via video conference. There is a growing demand for these skills across various occupations related to mental health, disability, allied health and social support services, with an expected robust increase in demand over the next five years.

As a counsellor, you will provide advice and information on relationships, social, educational, occupational and other everyday life difficulties. You will develop rapport and a healthy therapeutic relationship with people to help them identify and define their emotional issues through multiple therapies, including cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.

Learning outcomes

• Demonstrate specialist knowledge of counselling roles, skills and theory across the lifespan to various audiences relevant to professional counselling.
• Employ clear written and oral communication skills to effect therapeutic change in counselling.
• Select appropriate digital tools to find, use and disseminate information in counselling practice.
• Identify, synthesise, integrate and critically reflect on research to inform counselling practice.
• Appraise, select and apply specialised counselling skills and knowledge to solve complex problems in the field of counselling.
• Demonstrate high-level self-management and awareness in learning and practice, reinforcing the importance of responsibility, accountability and ethics in professional counselling.
• Work effectively in supervisory, leadership and managerial capacities. Communicate and collaborate with other mental health professionals to support clients.
• Evaluate and apply ethical principles to work productively in counselling within diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts. Collaborate and communicate in a self-reflective manner.

Fees and FEE-HELP

Estimated first-year tuition fee in 2025: $14,500 (domestic full-fee paying place)

All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a full-time study load of four credit points (normally four units) per year.

A student’s annual fee may vary in accordance with:

• The number of units studied per term.
• The choice of major or specialisation.
• Choice of units.
• Credit from previous study or work experience.
• Eligibility for government-funded loans. 

Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.

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