Online Course · Counselling

Start Building a Future in Counselling

Maybe you already sit with people on their worst days. You cover counselling interviews, grief support, crisis response and case management. You finish your placement hours inside a working service.

From $46.92per week, zero interest plan
No examsportfolios, videos and role plays
160 hoursof work placement
12 to 24 monthspick your finish pace
Anytimestart date, fully online
At a Glance

Course Snapshot

Study AreaCounselling
Course CodeCHC51015
DeliveryFully online, start anytime
Pace12, 18 or 24 months
Placement160 hours minimum
PaymentsFrom $46.92 per week
Comes with
  • Placement arranged for you
  • Units reachable day and night
  • No semesters and no set dates
  • Trainer is a working counsellor
Who It’s For

Why Do This Course

The Skill Can Be Taught

Listening well under pressure is a method, not a gift.

Already In A Helping Job?

Support workers use this to move into counselling roles.

Study Around Your Week

No set timetable. Log in at night or on days off.

The Course

What You'll Learn

01
The Counselling Relationship
How a session is opened, held and closed.
Establish and confirm the counselling relationship
Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills
Facilitate the counselling relationship and process
Support counselling clients in decision-making processes
02
Theory And Therapy
The models behind what you do in the room.
Research and apply personality and development theories
Apply learning theories in counselling
Select and use counselling therapies
Reflect on and improve own professional practice
03
Working With People
Ethics, difference and mental health.
Work legally and ethically
Work with diverse people
Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety
Work with people with mental health issues
04
When It Gets Hard
Grief, crisis and cases that need managing.
Provide loss and grief support
Recognise and respond to crisis situations
Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence
Assess the needs of clients with problem gambling issues
Develop, facilitate and review all aspects of case management
Included

What You’ll Get

In the Course

  • Interviews, opening and holding a session
  • Therapies, choosing and using a model
  • Crisis, response and family violence
  • Cases, planning, review and referral

As a Student

  • Self paced, 12, 18 or 24 month options
  • No exams, portfolios and role plays
  • Placement, 160 hours, host found for you
  • Support, trainer and assessor on hand
Why This One

What Makes It Different

Three things that set this one apart.

01
Crisis Work Has Its Own Units

Crisis response and family violence are taught on their own.

02
A Trainer Still In Practice

Kelly Merchant is a registered clinical counsellor.

03
Placement Found For You

Open Colleges arranges your host service through SkilTrak.

The Credentials

What You'll Earn

NATIONALLY RECOGNISED

Diploma of Counselling

CHC51015 · Nationally recognised training

The Diploma

You finish with the CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling.

Placement On Your Record

You put in at least 160 hours at a host service.

Membership Is A Separate Question

Counselling bodies each set their own membership rules.

Getting Started

How It Works

Step one

Tell Us Your Aim

Community service, private practice or a support role.

Step two

Ask The Questions

An advisor walks you through placement and pace.

Step three

Sort Payments

Upfront, weekly plan, or pay in four.

Step four

Start Learning

Enrol and work through the first units.

The Investment

How to Get Started

From $46.92 / week
Pay upfront, or spread it weekly on a zero interest plan.
Zero interest weekly plan
Credit check for the plan
Pay in four is available
Pay upfront if you prefer
Enquire Now
Good to Know

Common Questions

Do I need experience to start?

None. The course builds the method from the ground up.

What does it cost each week?

From $46.92 a week on a zero interest plan. A credit check applies.

How long will it take me?

Twelve, eighteen or twenty four months, depending on your pace.

Is this course accredited?

Yes. It is the CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling. Counselling itself is self-regulated in Australia.

Can I register with ACA or PACFA?

Not through this course. Open Colleges is not accredited with either body. Membership may be open through ACCA or VMPHAA, on their terms.

Do I have to do work placement?

Yes. A minimum of 160 hours at a host service.

Who teaches it?

Kelly Merchant, a registered clinical counsellor, teaches and assesses.

Are there exams?

None. You do written tasks, portfolios, videos and role plays.

Delivered By

About the College

Open Colleges is an Australian training provider that teaches online. Trainers come from the industry they teach.

Work placement is arranged with its partner SkilTrak, close to home.

Australian providerPlacement partner SkilTrakNamed trainersFully online study
Sit With It

Enquire Today

Picture the client who leaves lighter than they walked in.

Enquire Now