Course overview
The Graduate Certificate of Counselling is ideal for those wanting to explore counselling as a new career or vocation direction, with completion of the course providing time to determine if their interest in counselling merits further study.
Students will develop a clear appreciation of the rewards and challenges associated with a career as a professional counsellor, acquiring core counselling skills, an understanding of counselling ethics and an appreciation for how relational dynamics function in personal and professional settings.
The course may also be of interest to those in helping related professions whose occupations include an incidental counselling component (eg education, ministry, nursing, occupational therapy, pastoral work, policing, paramedics etc), providing an opportunity for them to improve or extend their current relational skill set by learning how to counsel and support others more effectively.
The course is also helpful for those without prior undergraduate studies who are interested in counselling and would like to determine if they can manage postgraduate level studies.
Students may also use the Graduate Certificate to proceed into the Graduate Diploma of Counselling and/or the Master of Counselling. Units completed in the Graduate Certificate in Counselling comprise 50% of the Graduate Diploma of Counselling and 25% of the Master of Counselling.
The program of study consists of 4 units totalling 24 credit points and can be completed in one year of part time study.
- Face to face (on-campus) delivery in Macquarie Park, NSW
- Delivery Mode: Friday/Saturday Intensives
- Credit Points: 24 / Number of Units: 4
- Student Workload: 10 hours per unit per week (includes provision for personal study)
Excelsia is now offering Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) for the Graduate Certificate in Counselling. Places are strictly limited.
Course record
Career Opportunities
Counselling is in increasingly high demand in workplaces, schools and community centres, where counsellors are employed in providing mental health knowledge and support to individuals and groups across a diverse array of issues. Counsellors will often choose to specialise in working with a particular segment of the population, and they may even specialise in their therapeutic approach. Some counsellors will seek employment while others will prefer to work in their own private practice. The Counselling training at Excelsia provides you with all of the knowledge, skills and experience to enter into any of these diverse areas.
As the Graduate Certificate is nested within the Master of Counselling, there are options to advance to the Graduate Diploma and Masters level, subject to satisfactory academic progression. The Graduate Certificate in Counselling also provides an optional exit award from the Master of Counselling Program.
Entry requirements
Postgraduate and higher courses usually use academic prerequisites, degree equivalence and English-language requirements.
Postgraduate entry
No structured standard entry requirements are available yet; confirm against the latest course requirements.
Student profile
Campuses & intake dates
- Macquarie ParkNSW