Have you been considering a career in counselling or wanting to integrate counselling skills and mental health knowledge into your current profession? There is set to be a strong job growth in the counselling sector, with positions rising to 27,800 counsellors by 2026, according to Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026. So there’s no better time to consider studying counselling at Excelsia College in 2024. With flexibility in the way you study and the ability to work while you learn, you can fit your studies to suit your lifestyle.
For those curious to see whether counselling could be a suitable career path, Excelsia College offers a Graduate Certificate in Counselling. Students will undertake foundational subjects such as ‘Approaches to Mental Health’ and ‘Counselling Theories and Models’ over six months full-time study. For those set on practising as a counsellor, there is a Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Master of Counselling. Excelsia’s counselling courses are taught from a Christian framework and look at not only the emotional and psychological wellbeing of individuals but also spiritual wellbeing.
Graduate Diploma of Counselling applicants may be admitted if they have previously successfully completed a relevant bachelor degree or bachelor honours degree, but applicants without such undergraduate qualifications can apply for admission via the work and life experience pathway which includes experience in relevant paid or volunteer work or contribution to church life. Graduates can go on to the Master of Counselling and build on their theoretical knowledge. Within the Master’s program, students will undertake 100 hours of placement involving direct client contact hours, undertake 25 hours of clinical supervision, and have free personal counselling. Real-world experience gives graduates the confidence to practise as counsellors within their selected area, including agencies, community health centres, hospitals or in private practice.
Both the Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Master of Counselling are formally accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA), and the Master’s program is also accredited by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).
Excelsia College is also pleased to introduce our new senior lecturer in counselling Lauren Poole. Lauren holds a PhD in Psychology and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice from Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom. She also holds a Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP) and is a PACFA Certified Practising Counsellor. With over 10 years’ experience in higher education teaching across four institutions in the disciplines of psychology and counselling, as well as experience in curriculum design and course coordination, Lauren is ready to use her experience and expertise to help train and equip our counselling students.
Our students have been deeply impacted by our counselling courses, just ask Anna Greenwell. The 2022 Valedictorian shared in her graduation speech, ‘I am grateful for having chosen Excelsia College. The task of forming courageous, competent and compassionate mental health practitioners is critical for our society and Excelsia has prepared us well. The “Excelsia” approach lifted our gaze and taught us to see our clients beyond a set of behaviours, and beyond the mere need to adapt to an environment or situation, to truly receive the unique individual in front of us.
I am encouraged, inspired, and humbled to be part of my new profession and I hope you, too, share my excitement and sense of privilege, in getting to be a “holder of hope” and witnessing the healing and restoration this brings to people’s lives.’
If you feel inspired to make a positive difference in the lives of others like Anna and want to learn counselling within a Christian framework, why not explore Excelsia College’s counselling courses today? https://excelsia.edu.au/study/counselling/
