If you enjoy helping people manage life’s challenges, a career in counselling is ideal for you. Whether you’re seeking a rewarding new career in counselling or want to acquire counselling skills to complement your core profession, this professional development course is for you.
The Certificate of Counselling will provide you with the skills and knowledge to work in the helping professions working within a structured counselling framework.
In this online counselling course you will learn how to support clients in decision-making processes, apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills and research and apply personality, development and counselling theories into your counselling practice.
You will learn how to reflect and improve upon your counselling skills and gain the skills necessary to communicate effectively, working within a case management framework.
On completion of this course, you will have gained an understanding of the core counselling methodologies used to assist clients, and discovered how to establish and maintain effective counselling relationships.
Course Structure
Unit 1 - Establish and confirm the counselling relationship
- Structured counselling approach
- Analyse existing client information
- Initial session guidelines
- Assessment interviews
- Standardised assessments
- Engaging with clients
- Communication techniques
- Building rapport
- Active listening
- Effective questioning
- Client goals
- Establishing the helping relationship
- Counselling service information
- Client rights and responsibilities
- The counselling process
- Professional boundaries
- Expectations and commitment
- Anxiety or concerns
- Referral process
- Collaborative processes
- Confidentiality and privacy
- Conflicting interests
- Person-centred approach
- Options and approaches
- Counselling contracts
- Counselling plans
- Informed consent
- Records management
Unit 2 - Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills
- Counselling interview sequence
- Environmental / personal factors
- Cultural considerations
- Disabilities / impairments
- Client-counsellor relationship
- Counselling skills
- Person-centred approach
- Client-centred interactions
- Establish rapport
- Empathy, honesty and openness
- Conflict resolution
- Learning styles
- Communication styles and skills
- Key objectives
- The initial session
- Structured approach
- Specialised counselling skills
- Negotiation techniques
- Promoting self-advocacy / self-care
- Coping strategies
- Responding to distress or crisis
- Self-evaluation / self-awareness
- Professional development plan
- Action learning
- Networking / professional memberships
Unit 3 - Facilitate the counselling relationship and process
- The clients story
- Counselling environments
- Legal and ethical requirements
- Mandatory reporting
- Child protection
- Duty of care
- Engaging with clients
- Immediate action
- Conflicting interests
- Client concerns
- Reframing technique
- Referral processes
- Client uncertainty / ambivalence
- Experience and process difficulties
- Recovery stages
- Emotional intelligence
- Interventions
- Support mechanisms
- Strengths-based counselling
- Perceptions of client feelings
- Active listening
- Identifying underlying issues
- Dealing with life changes
- Monitor counselling process
- Hopes and expectations versus reality
- Action planning
- 12 signs of good counselling
- Counselling conclusion
- Emotionally dependent clients
- Professional boundaries
- Records management
Unit 4 - Apply learning theories in counselling
- Research learning theories
- Access current information
- Workplace polices
- Privacy principles
- Distilling key themes and messages
- Behaviorism
- Antecedent behaviour consequence (ABC)
- Punishment
- Ignoring the behaviour
- Reinforcement
- Cognitivism
- Current and future practice
- Record security
- Record retention
- Legal and ethical considerations
- Professional boundaries
- Behavioral outcomes
- Modelling influences
- Modelling or behavioral rehearsal
- Role playing
- Role modelling
- Analyse responses
- Responses to reinforcement
- Primary reinforcement
- Secondary reinforcement
- Environmental differences
- Dysfunctional environments
- Learning environments
- Socioeconomic barriers
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- Formulate a program for change
- Achieving identified outcomes
- Client rights
- Identify practical goals
- Setting SMART goals
- Barriers to achieving outcomes
- Stimulus and response techniques
- Delayed reinforcement
- Aggressive behaviour
- Reviewing change programs
- Problem solving
Unit 5- Select and use counselling therapies
- Analysing client needs
- Holistic approach
- Problem-solving techniques
- Goal setting
- Developmental status
- Piaget’s cognitive development
- Freud’s psychosexual stages of development
- Erikson’s psychosocial development
- Kohlberg’s moral development
- Individual differences
- Coexisting issues
- Normal and abnormal behaviour
- Drug use and psychological illness
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Person-Centred Therapy
- Behaviour Therapy
- Gestalt Therapy
- Solution-focused therapy
- Miracle questions
- Scaling questions
- Coping questions
- Self-care plans
- Stress
- Managing re-traumatisation
- Breathing control exercises
- Managing vicarious trauma
- Personality theories
- Applying Freud
- Applying Maslow
- Applying Erikson
- The counselling process
- Client expectations
- Communication skills
- Communication barriers
- Active listening
- Effective questioning
- Reframing
- Paralanguage
- Specialised counselling techniques
- Self-advocacy
- Building resilience
- Integrative therapy
- Empathy and sympathy
- Self-reflection
- Evaluate therapies
Unit 6 - Support counselling clients in decision-making processes
- Clarifying goals and requirements
- Law and ethics
- Professional boundaries
- Setting SMART goals
- Referral processes
- Exploring options
- Ethical decision-making model
- Client-centred decision-making model
- Collaborative decision-making model
- Counselling plans
- Counselling contracts
- Informed consent
Assessment
Assessment Information
When you study with Australian Online Courses, you will be assessed using a competency-based training method.
Competency-based training focuses on the achievement of skills and knowledge against set criteria to meet industry-standard and is not benchmarked against other students’ work.
In this course, the assessment will be comprised of written assignments and exercises, which may include short answer questions, reports, essays, research projects and reflective tasks.
If you do not achieve a competency result on your first attempt, you have two more attempts to pass your assessment. So, you have three attempts in total to obtain a competency result.
In this way, you can complete your course in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Testimonials
I have thoroughly enjoyed doing my counselling course through Australian Online Courses that I have enrolled into another course through you guys, looking forward to doing my counselling and psychology next.
L.Middleton, Rosebud VIC | Certificate of Counselling
I found the course site easy to navigate and the course materials clear and comprehensive. The counselling micro-skills contained within this course are very relevant to many careers and I could put them to use straight away
M. Vine, East Brisbane, QLD | Certificate of Counselling
I enjoyed working from home and tutors were quick to respond to questions and mark assessment items
S. Peters, Burleigh Heads, QLD | Certificate of Counselling
Course FAQs
Why Choose Australian Online Courses?
- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
- Improve your employment opportunities;
- Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
- No entry requirements;
- All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
- Unlimited tutor support;
- Easy to understand course content;
- Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Certificate of Attainment/Completion issued for your CV (hard copy provided); and
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
How long will it take to complete this course?
The approximate study hours for this course is 90 hours. Twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply).
Can I purchase optional printed materials?
Yes! The cost for printed materials for this course is $50 per unit. Total cost for optional printed materials is: $300.00. Printed materials are available for purchase at any time and not require to complete this course. Everything you need to complete the course is provided online via our e-learning system.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion of this course?
Yes! You will receive a Certificate of Attainment upon successful completion of your assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our e-learning system and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
Career Pathways
Future growth
Strong
Unemployment
Low
- Counsellor
- Mental Health Support Worker
- Trauma Counsellor
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