Counsellors are the smaller occupation and the faster growing one. There are about 34,000 of them now, and the projection runs up 23.4% over the decade, which brings about 7,950 more into the field by 2035. Welfare support workers are a bigger group at about 96,500, their projection is up 11.9% over the decade, and that adds about 11,500 more people. So the monthly advertising and the long range outlook disagree at the moment, and that combination is commoner than it sounds. Advertising answers to this year's budgets. The projection answers to how many people will need this kind of help, and that number is only going one way.
Here's the part that sits oddly against the monthly count. Counsellors sit on the national shortage list for 2025, so employers report real difficulty filling those positions even while the advertising eases. Welfare support workers carry no shortage rating, and that side competes on normal terms. A rating is not a job offer. What it tells you is that employers are struggling to find qualified people, and qualified is the operative word here. The Diploma below is the level those roles are usually written around.
The register's recorded first step for these occupations is the Certificate I in Active Volunteering. The code on it reads CHC14015, and 1,095 enrolments were recorded for 2025. That's a small qualification and it isn't a counselling one. The busiest qualification anywhere near this field is the Certificate III in Community Services, and it recorded 17,280 enrolments in 2025. That one is broad community services rather than counselling as such. Counselling proper starts further up a ladder that runs to 37 qualifications. The Diploma of Counselling below is what the job ads are usually written around. The Cert IV beside it pairs alcohol and other drugs with mental health, for the work next door to counselling.
Compare what each one covers, then enquire on the one that fits you. The provider sorts out the details with you directly.
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What qualification do I need to be a counsellor?
In practice a Diploma. The Diploma of Counselling below is the level most counselling roles are written around, and the professional associations set their own membership requirements on top of it. The Cert IV beside it covers alcohol, other drugs and mental health work.
What's the difference between the two courses here?
Scope. The Diploma of Counselling goes deep on counselling practice itself. The Cert IV pairs alcohol and other drugs with mental health, which suits community and clinical support settings. Each one carries a national code, and each one includes placement.
Can I study counselling online?
Yes, and both listings come from Open Colleges. Supervised placement happens separately from the study blocks, and those hours are usually the first real experience on your resume. The provider sets out start dates, fees and placement arrangements once you enquire. Open Colleges was still listing both in September 2026.