Deakin University

Master of Counselling

Delivery: Face to Face
Study Level: Postgraduate
Duration: 24 months

Prepare to support individuals, couples and groups through evidence-informed counselling, specialist therapeutic study, intensive skills development and 200 hours of supervised professional placement.

Course overview

Deakin University’s Master of Counselling prepares you to support people experiencing mild to moderate mental health concerns and developmental challenges. You will develop advanced communication, analytical and therapeutic skills while establishing the ethical and professional foundations required for counselling practice.

Explore contemporary counselling therapies and build specialist capability across mental health, trauma, relationships, family violence, sexuality, grief and culturally responsive practice. Compulsory workshops and 200 hours of professional placement allow you to apply your knowledge, work with diverse clients and strengthen your professional identity under supervision.

Accredited by the Australian Counselling Association and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, the course supports applications for professional membership or registration after graduation. It is delivered through the Melbourne Burwood Campus over two years full-time, or part-time equivalent, and combines online learning with compulsory campus attendance and placement completed in Australia.

Key facts

Delivery

Face to Face

Study level

Postgraduate

Course type

Master's

Duration

24 months (Full time)

Units

Fees

FEE-HELP

Price per unit

From $4,025

Intake

February, 2027
June, 2027

What you will study

To earn the Master of Counselling, you must successfully complete units totalling 16 credit points, as detailed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is worth 1 credit point.

Core units

Principles of Counselling and Telehealth
Professional Counselling Roles
Ethical and Legal Issues in Counselling
Counselling Diverse Populations
Mental Health Counselling
Lifespan and Developmental Counselling
Contemporary Counselling Therapies
Research in Counselling
Counselling Placement 1
Trauma Informed Counselling
Sex and Sexuality
Counselling and Family Violence
Group Counselling
Grief and Bereavement Counselling
Counselling Placement 2
Relationship Counselling

Professional placement

Students must complete 200 hours of professional placement across Counselling Placement 1 and Counselling Placement 2. All placement hours must be completed with the placement host while the student is physically located in Australia.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

To be eligible for this course, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

Completion of a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification in any discipline.
Evidence of academic capability considered equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.

Preference may be given to applicants with an equivalent credit average of 65% or above.

Selection considers academic merit, suitability, likelihood of success, availability of places, participation requirements, regulatory requirements and individual circumstances. Entry is competitive and places are limited. Meeting the minimum academic and English language requirements does not guarantee admission.

Supporting documents

Applicants must submit a recorded personal statement responding to three questions about:

Their suitability for counselling.
How they meet the course’s cultural humility requirement.
A type of client they may find challenging to work with and why.

The recording must not exceed six minutes. Applicants must upload it to YouTube as an unlisted video and submit the link through the application portal in a Word document.

Recent graduates of Deakin University’s Graduate Diploma of Counselling are not required to submit the recorded personal statement.

Inherent requirements

Applicants should review the course’s inherent requirements before applying. These cover communication, empathy, emotional resilience, critical thinking, cultural humility, ethical and professional conduct, intellectual and interpersonal capability, technology use and the ability to participate in role-play, compulsory campus workshops and professional placement.

Reasonable adjustments may be available for eligible students, but students must still be able to meet the course’s essential academic and professional requirements.

English language requirements

Applicants must provide evidence of at least one of the following:

A bachelor’s degree completed in a recognised English-speaking country.
An IELTS overall score of 7.0, with no individual band score below 6.5, or an accepted equivalent.
Other accepted evidence of English language proficiency.

Contact the university for further information.

Mandatory student checks

Before commencing placement, students must obtain:

A national police check.
A Working with Children Check, or equivalent clearance based on their state of residence.

A disclosable outcome may affect whether a placement organisation accepts a student. If an appropriate alternative placement cannot be obtained, the student may be unable to complete the placement units and therefore the course.

Students seeking professional accreditation may also need to disclose professional misconduct, formal complaints, serious criminal offences, current investigations or a previous refusal of permission to work with children.

Recognition of Prior Learning

You may be eligible for recognition of prior learning if you have previously studied or have relevant work experience. This will help reduce the number of units you need to study to finish your course. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

Demonstrate specialist knowledge of counselling roles and knowledge and application of skills, theory, interventions and ethics across the lifespan to various audiences relevant to professional counselling.
Employ clear written and oral communication skills to effect therapeutic change among diverse client groups. Convey complex counselling theories and ideas to various audiences, including clients, colleagues and other professionals.
Use a range of digital tools to locate and disseminate counselling information and client resources and to support the delivery of counselling services.
Identify, synthesise, integrate and critically reflect on research to inform counselling practice.
Appraise, select and apply specialised counselling skills and knowledge to understand and respond to client issues. Initiate, plan and implement tailored counselling interventions that address individual client needs.
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 with diverse ethnic and cultural partners and teams to promote professional competence and growth. 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 and culturally sensitive manner.

Career outcomes

Graduates may pursue counselling and support roles across mental health, disability, allied health, education and social support services. Career directions include: