Graduate Diploma in Counselling

What you will study

To complete the Graduate Diploma in Counselling, students must take the following eight units for 100 credit points.

Core units

• Counselling Skills 1
• Counselling Skills 2
• Professional Ethics and Practice
• Adjustment To Change
• Addictive Behaviours
• Rehabilitation Counselling
• Working with Children and Young People
• Relationship Counselling

Entry requirements

Applicants must have one of the following:

• A degree with a major in psychology, behavioural or psychological science.
• A degree in an affiliated area of human services, such as education, social work, law or nursing.
• Other equivalent or a combination of qualifications requires at least three years of full-time tertiary study or are deemed equivalent by the College of Health and Medicine.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you’ve already completed some relevant studies, you may be eligible to apply for credit that may count towards the requirements for the degree you are applying for. Contact the university for more information.

Outcomes

Learning outcomes

• Apply advanced counselling-specific knowledge and skills to human behaviour, considering the lifespan, cultural and developmental issues of the individual and/or audience, to address different client presentations.
• Use critically reflective practice skills to maintain facilitative counselling relationships in complex professional practice contexts, including loss, grief, trauma, addiction, relationships and working with young people
• Integrate theory and evidence to design and evaluate individualised counselling treatment approaches.
• Apply advanced knowledge of relevant codes of conduct, self-reflection, critical thinking skills and professional standards of workplace practice in consultation with professional bodies and supervisors to constructively critique one's counselling performance.

Career outcomes

Counselling graduates work in various settings, including relationship counselling organisations, secondary and post-secondary education, community welfare centres, drug and alcohol agencies, church agencies and private practice. Other graduates utilise their counselling skills in their existing employment. You might also find employment in Crisis and Trauma counselling, EAP services, Career counselling / Employment Services, Disability, Aged Care, Justice / Community Corrections, Child and Adolescent services.

Fees and CSP

Estimated total fee in 2025: $9,312 (Commonwealth Supported Place)

Estimated total fee in 2025: $20,880 (domestic full-fee paying place)

A student’s annual fee may vary per:

• The number of units studied.
• 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.

Commonwealth Supported Places

The Australian Government allocates a certain number of CSPs to the universities each year, which are then distributed to students based on merit.

If you're a Commonwealth Supported Student (CSS), you'll only need to pay some of your tuition fees. This is known as the student contribution amount – the balance once the government subsidy is applied. This means your costs are much lower.

Limited CSP spaces are offered to students enrolled in selected postgraduate courses.

Your student contribution amount is:

• Calculated per unit you're enrolled in.
• Depending on the study areas they relate to.
• Reviewed and adjusted each year.

HECS-HELP loans are available to CSP students to pay the student contribution amount.

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