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Study online through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

The Diploma of Counselling is an introductory program that provides graduates with the skillset to understand human behaviour.Students explore a range of topics including mental health, the impact of chronic health conditions on quality of life, foundational mental health intervention skills, and applied counselling skills. Studies will focus on adopting healthy thoughts and behaviours as part of a self-care approach, introducing you to a range of skills to manage stress and enhance well-being of yourself and others through lifestyle, mindfulness, and positive psychology.Students undertake the Diploma of Counselling for a variety of reasons, as a complimentary skillset to support their existing career, people managers looking to support their staff, and to build understanding in mental health to support self and others.If you are interested in further study, you can progress with credit into the Bachelor of Psychological Science to continue your journey in the study of psychology and counselling.Alternatively, if you are interested in becoming a qualified counsellor you will need to complete the Graduate Diploma of Counselling where you’ll be eligible to register with the Australian Counselling Association.

Gain an introduction to a range of topics including mental health, the impact of chronic health conditions on quality of life, mental health first aid, and applied counselling skills.

Diploma of Counselling

A counselling master&#39;s is the highest level of counselling training available in Australia and provides a holistic environment for you to gain hands-on experience, practising your counselling skills in a professional and supervised setting. You will be equipped with a wide range of skills to enable further lifelong learning, support continued resilience and set professional boundaries to facilitate effective interpersonal communication across business, community, education and wellbeing settings. Work placement during your course will allow you to put your skills into practice and complement your theoretical learning.Tailor your study to your lifestyle thanks to our innovative digital learning system, accessible from anywhere with 24/7 personalised support. Participate in live classes, connecting with specialist lecturers and fellow students. When studying online, you’ll complete the same set of self-paced study modules as on-campus students, and graduate with the same qualification. Best of all, you get access to view live content on demand.Course duration: 1.5 years full time, 3 years part time.

Practice a wide range of skills, support continued resilience and facilitate effective communication across varied contexts in a holistic, supervised environment. Graduates qualify for membership with the Australian Counselling Association.

Master of Counselling

In this program you will develop knowledge and skills in counselling, together with an understanding of the ethical, legal and professional issues in relation to the practice of counselling required for employment in a range of counselling roles.You will also develop an understanding of the social, cultural and developmental context in which counselling occurs and of a range of therapeutic approaches and appropriate to a range of client ages, needs and circumstances. This program also aims to provide professional development opportunities for people working in counselling roles, including addiction services, family and relationships and trauma.

Study the fundamentals of counselling before diving into specialty topics such as relationship, substance use and rehabilitation therapies. Hone your practical skills so that you can work in a variety of social work and community care professions.

Graduate Diploma in Counselling

Enhance your career and gain foundational skills in counselling with UniSQ’s Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Foundations of Practice). You’ll learn to consolidate theory and practice within an integrative framework to effectively provide client-centred, trauma-informed counselling within diverse contexts and client groups, including Indigenous Australians. The skills you will gain from your counselling studies will be transferable between nursing, psychology, teaching, welfare, human services or allied health practices. There is a four-day mandatory residential school for each of the four Foundations of Practice courses, where you&#39;ll get hands-on practice at UniSQ Ipswich and learn from staff and other students.

This part-time online counselling course covers core counselling topics and key professional skills. Learn how to plan, structure, and manage a counselling session. You’ll study major theories and start thinking about your own professional practice.

Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Foundations of Practice)

This graduate certificate develops your knowledge of the theoretical and ethical underpinnings of counselling, delivery methods such as telehealth, suicidality, common mental health conditions, and the importance of personal and professional self-care and effective boundaries.The course enables you to start or advance a successful and rewarding career in the counselling and wellbeing industry.Tailor your study to your lifestyle thanks to our innovative digital learning system, accessible from anywhere with 24/7 personalised support. Participate in live classes, connecting with specialist lecturers and fellow students. When studying online, you’ll complete the same set of self-paced study modules as on-campus students, and graduate with the same qualification. Best of all, you get access to view live content on demand.Course duration: 2 trimesters full time, 4 or more trimesters part time.

Build a knowledge base of the theoretical and ethical underpinnings of counselling. You’ll study delivery methods – including telehealth – and common mental health conditions. Get to know the importance of self-care and professional boundaries.

Graduate Certificate of Counselling

Rehabilitation counsellors are allied health professionals who work within a counselling and case management framework to assist people who are experiencing disability, a health condition or social disadvantage to participate in employment or education, or to live independently and access services in the community. In this program you will gain the knowledge and skills needed to work as a rehabilitation counsellor in government, insurance, workers compensation and motor accident rehabilitation, disability employment services, the National Injury Insurance Scheme (NIIS), the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (or equivalent internationally), and private and not-for-profit rehabilitation services.You will learn about vocational evaluation, job placement, injury management, disability studies, applied counselling and research methods. You will also undertake a supervised practicum placement, which will give you the opportunity to apply theory to practice.Additionally, you will complete a supervised dissertation or choose from elective courses in areas such as workplace health and safety, mental health, entrepreneurial and negotiation skills, disability and ageing studies. This will allow you to complete specialist courses and research relevant to your interests in a particular area of rehabilitation counselling practice.

Work as a rehabilitation counsellor, perhaps in government, insurance, private or not-for-profit rehabilitation services. Put your theory into practice through fieldwork, and applied counselling and research methods.

Master of Rehabilitation Counselling

Demand for mental health professionals is at an all-time high. If you enjoy working with people and creating positive change, counselling offers both a meaningful career and excellent employment prospects.The Bachelor of Counselling provides a foundation in psychology, assessment and interventions, counselling theory and practice and building relationships.Students will build skills in counselling practice with extensive placement experiences.The University is home to an active community of researchers and thought leaders in social work and policy, psychology and community welfare.

Combine psychological theory and counselling skills in this online counselling course. Learn to counsel couples, families, children, and young people. You’ll cover assessment, interventions, and more. Unlock careers in mental health. 

Bachelor of Counselling

This course provides students with theoretical foundations, beginning therapeutic skills and first self-reflective clinical practice proficiency in counselling. It affords students the opportunity to learn a range of interpersonal competencies, including communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, self reflection, negotiation and conflict resolution skills. The course is preparatory for those wishing to pursue postgraduate studies in counselling and psychotherapy. Students can choose complementary areas of study in discussion with the Course Coordinator.You have the option of studying this program online or on-campus.

Explore your own values, assumptions, and views to understand how people define themselves and how you might help them. Communicate, reflect, negotiate, and resolve conflict. Specialise in family and child support or professional youth work.

In this program you will develop foundational knowledge and skills in counselling, together with an understanding of the ethical, legal and professional issues in relation to the practice of counselling required for employment in a range of counselling roles.You will also develop an understanding of the social, cultural and developmental context in which counselling occurs and a range of therapeutic approaches appropriate to a range of client ages, needs and circumstances. The program also aims to provide professional development opportunities for people working in counselling roles.

Pursue a rewarding career as a counsellor using a range of therapeutic approaches. Understand the ethics of your profession and how to address trauma with clients. Then put your skills to the test during role-play scenarios.

If you have an interest in the science of psychology and in counselling, this course will introduce you to the professional art of counselling with the added bonus of preparing you for advanced psychology training.You’ll acquire skills to analyse and research behaviour and to be able to explain interactions between people and their environment. The course is also a great springboard to postgraduate studies in psychology and counselling.This course can be studied online or on campus.

Begin to explore people’s behaviour and gain the confidence to help them change. Complement your growing knowledge of psychology with introductory counselling skills. By exploring your own values, you’ll be prepped to work with groups and individuals.

Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling

Counselling Concepts

Counselling Fundamentals

Contemporary Approaches in Counselling

Stress, Self-Care and Mindfulness

Explore different counselling and psychotherapy theories that tackle what we know about how people think, feel and behave. Learn to apply your knowledge in a counselling setting to help people live happier and more productive lives.Get an overview of different behavioural and cognitive approaches to counselling theories and practices in contemporary social and cultural settings. Develop your communication skills in a counselling context and examine psychological concepts related to interpersonal perception and learning.UniSA Online’s 10-week short courses give you the flexibility to up-skill in a certain area, stay current with developments in your field, diversify your knowledge, or even explore a new direction in your career – without having to commit to the time and cost of a full university degree. This is a first-year course from UniSA Online’s Bachelor of Psychological Science and Sociology degree.Delivered 100% online, you’ll be able to study where and when it suits you. Access online academic and student support seven days a week, fit study around work and life commitments, view learning resources 24/7, and log in to the interactive online environment anywhere, any time and on any device.Should your course have an exam it will be scheduled for Australian Central Standard Time or Australian Central Daylight Time, depending on the time of the year.

Consider yourself a good listener and advice giver? Study the foundations of counselling with this introductory course. Cover psychotherapy theories, communication and interpersonal skills. Gain confidence in counselling concepts and theory. 

This subject provides an overview of foundational counselling concepts, theories, and skills. In this subject you will be introduced to the main theoretical perspectives and values that underlie counselling practices. You will learn to apply counselling microskills that underpin effective communication in counselling practice. The importance of ethics, critical thinking, and evaluating evidence in counselling are also a key focus in this subject. Completion of this subject does not qualify you to practice counselling, however, it will provide you with a foundation for further study in this area.

An online counselling course that offers an overview. You’ll explore counselling skills and theories that form the foundation of professional practice. Lock in the counselling basics and get ready for advanced counselling courses.

Culturally-responsive counselling constitutes an important and expanding area of counselling theory and practice. This aspect of counselling requires counsellors to understand the impact that their culturally-learned assumptions, and those of their clients, have on therapy and its outcomes.This unit will increase your awareness of, and skills relevant to, working with clients from a diverse range of cultural belonging. With a focus on Indigenous, migrant, neurodiverse and LGBTQI+ populations, you will enhance your understanding of culturally-responsive assessment and practice, whilst engaging in self-reflexive practice.

Culturally Responsive Counselling

This subject focuses on the application of contemporary counselling theories and interventions that both enhance wellbeing through proactive prevention approaches, as well as remediate distress. The process and role of self-reflection in counselling practice is also a key focus in this subject. Students will learn about a range of counselling practices that can be implemented to support the health and wellbeing of others and themselves, and how self-reflection skills can support evidence-based, lifelong learning approaches to human health and wellbeing.

This subject focuses on the issues and challenges, both in theory and practice, of working with clients in the context of their intimate personal relationships. Students will have the opportunity to develop their thinking and skills in working systemically with more than one person. Introductory material will provide a framework for thinking about relationships and family of origin and will introduce students to various theoretical approaches to working with families and couples. This subject will emphasise the development of skills associated with working with families and couples facing particular challenges and problems through exploring practical counselling interventions.

Relationship Counselling

This subject provides an introduction to the theory and practice as a consultant working in rehabilitation counselling. Topics covered include case management, as well as vocational, medical and forensic rehabilitation. Organisational structures and the individual experience are examined. The acquisition of information and practical skills is emphasised, providing competencies for students to enhance their overall learning, with a view to securing appropriate and relevant employment.

Rehabilitation Counselling

In this subject you will learn to apply advanced counselling skills, including working with a range of client presentations and intervention strategies. You will gain skills and knowledge to help you navigate the stages of therapy, beginning with the intake interview. This subject will challenge you to extend your foundational knowledge and skills to more specific and advanced approaches to counselling, including how to tailor your approach to the specific needs of different client presentations. You will also work to deepen your reflective practice as you engage in more complex counselling interactions.

Counselling Skills 2

On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to use practical skills for more effective interpersonal communication, as well as basic counselling skills. This subject examines styles of counselling with integration of theories of counselling with its practice. The subject teaches both basic skills in counselling and more advanced skills necessary in more complex counselling situations. Multicultural counselling will be addressed.

Counselling Skills 1

In this online subject, you will learn about a range of approaches to managing stress and enhancing well-being which can be applied by individuals in a self-care context. As a foundation, you will learn about stress and coping, well-being and happiness, and motivation and behaviour change. This content includes different theories and models used in psychology to explain these concepts.Then you will explore the theory, scholarly evidence base, and practice of a range of self-care approaches, grouped into three themes:<ol><li>Lifestyle (healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, relaxation, social connections, and nature engagement)</li><li>Mindfulness (everyday/informal mindfulness, formal mindfulness and meditation, compassion and self-compassion) and</li><li>Positive Psychology (gratitude, acts of kindness, character strengths, meaning in life, flow and creativity). </li></ol>You will learn how to think critically regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the self-care approaches covered.Throughout the subject, there is a focus on understanding the mechanisms of action of these approaches (how they “work”). These mechanisms could be psychological (e.g., relating to mental activities like attention and emotion regulation) and/or biological (e.g., relating to physiological activity in the nervous system and/or endocrine system). In each weekly online module, content is presented in text and video formats, along with interactive online learning activities and additional scholarly readings. In practical activities and assessments, you will discuss, apply, and reflect on the techniques discussed in the subject content.

Learn how lifestyle, mindfulness, and positive psychology can enhance wellbeing. You’ll explore psychological theories behind stress and happiness. Help people to cope with life’s challenges. Promote and practice self-care.

This subject provides you with an introduction to studies in addictive behaviours in preparation for employment in the areas of alcohol and other substance counselling, treatment and prevention. It provides an overview of models of treatment and prevention of addictive behaviours with an emphasis on substance use disorders and behavioural addictions, such as gambling. Policy options and approaches to drug education and harm reduction are also introduced.

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