Graduate Diploma of Counselling

The Graduate Diploma of Counselling provides students with a range of counselling skills that can be applied across work settings, client types and cultural groups.

Students specialise in human services counselling, couple counselling or forensic counselling.

The course is designed to meet the needs of those employed in the human services sector (such as mental health, general health care, education, law and mediation, justice and welfare, and public service fields) or those who have an interest in the specialist fields of couple counselling or forensic counselling.

The Graduate Diploma of Counselling examines a variety of teaching and learning methods designed to foster personal and professional development in the areas of human services counselling, couple counselling, forensic counselling or professional counselling. The course is available part-time in Australia, and full-time and part-time in Singapore. The course is designed to improve counselling skills of people currently employed or interested in employment in one of the human services sectors (i.e., education, mental health, health, community, justice and welfare sectors); or who have an interest in the specialist fields of couple counselling or forensic counselling.

The professional counselling stream is designed to improve counselling skills of people currently employed or interested in employment in professional counselling.

The professional counselling stream is only offered in Singapore in collaboration with the Executive Counselling and Training Academy. It is available to Singapore citizens, Singapore permanent residents, holders of a valid Singapore dependant’s pass, and holders of a valid Singapore work permit.

The postgraduate programs in Counselling are a nested suite consisting of three exit points: Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters.

To qualify for the award of Graduate Diploma of Counselling, students must compete 100 credit points comprising:

• 4 core units (50 credit points)
• 4 units from one of the Counselling specialisations: Couple Counselling; Human Services Counselling; or Forensic Counselling (50 credit points)

• 4 core units (50 credit points)
• 4 units in the Professional Counselling stream (50 credit points)

Units of study

PSC60001 Foundations of Counselling PSC60004 Ethics and Cultural Diversity for Counsellors PSC60009 Lifespan Development and Systemic Thinking PSC70008 Advanced Counselling PSC70018 Trauma Loss and Grief Counselling PSC70007 Couple Counselling Theory PSC70023 Couple Counselling Practice and Application PSC70024 Clinical Supervision and Workplace Experience PSC70018 Trauma Loss and Grief Counselling PSC70001 Addiction Counselling PSC80006 Assessment and Evidence Based Therapies PSC70024 Clinical Supervision and Workplace Experience PSC70018 Trauma Loss and Grief Counselling FBS80001 Core Skills in Forensic Practice FBS80002 Fundamentals of Criminal Law Process PSC70024 Clinical Supervision and Workplace Experience PSC60011 Professional Ethics and Supervision PSC60012 Specific Skills in Counselling PSC60013 Theories and Foundations of Counselling PSC60014 Counselling Processes and Interventions PSC70002 Assessment and Treatment of Psychological Disorders PSC70009 Counselling Research Processes PSC70015 Specific Approaches to Counselling PSC70017 Advanced Interventions in Counselling and Group Processes

The university may determine selection criteria and restrictions in respect of courses to apply in addition to these entry requirements.

All students studying this program in Australia will be required to submit a current Working with Children Check and Police Check.

* Work experience

Documents substantiating work experience need to be provided on company letterhead and clearly detail roles as well as duties and duration of posts held.

• exercise independent judgement relevant to counselling theory and practice in the field of human services counselling, couple counselling and forensic counselling
• initiate, plan, implement and evaluate basic counselling interventions with a range of client groups and presentations across the lifespan
• apply basic and more advanced skills to work therapeutically with a range of clients in human services and couple counselling contexts using counselling methods and techniques that are drawn from different evidence-based approaches, all of which emphasise the important role of assessment, empathy, the therapeutic relationship, ethical decision-making and professional supervision
• reflect on, and take responsibility for, their own learning and self-management processes in relation to counselling work with clients that promotes self-reflection and the development as a professional counsellor in a human services, couple counselling or forensic context
• demonstrate competence in assessment (including risk assessment and mental state examinations) case formulation and treatment planning, implementation and evaluation for clients presenting with a range of complex issues in a human services, couple counselling and forensic context
• use written and oral communication skills to demonstrate an understanding of basic and advanced theoretical concepts and methods relevant to trauma, loss and grief counselling, addiction counselling, couple counselling or forensic counselling; and to transfer this knowledge to different client groups, including individuals, couples and families.

• capable in their chosen professional, vocational or study areas
• entrepreneurial in contributing to innovation and development within their business, workplace or community
• effective and ethical in work and community situations
• adaptable and able to manage change
• aware of local and international environments in which they will be contributing (e.g. socio-cultural, economic, natural).