Counselling

The Advanced Diploma in Counselling prepares students to work in a multi-disciplinary environment and significantly enhances their counselling, professional and spiritual foundations. Students form a vision of the counsellor that reflects both individual and relational work, supportive and intensive therapies, psychological competence and theological congruence. The course requires a consistent commitment to supervision and personal and professional integration.

The Advanced Diploma of Counselling may be completed in one year full time or may be completed part time. Each of the units is delivered either over a year, a semester or half a semester.

Units

All units are offered online with 4 face-to-face seminars a year delivered in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. This course requires completion of 144 points of study. We recommend the following units for a full-time student:

Learning outcomes

Graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Counselling will:

1. have well-developed counselling skills to work with clients of low to moderate needs;

2. have a deep understanding of themselves as counsellors;

3. apply client spirituality into the counselling experience from an ethical perspective with a critical understanding of Christian worldviews;

4. apply theological and professional reflection to their practice;

5. apply the professional practice in counselling with diverse people in a range of contexts.

Admission criteria

A person may apply to enrol as a candidate for the Advanced Diploma in Counselling if he or she:

• Has satisfactorily completed an eligible Diploma of Counselling:For the purposes of admission, eligible Advanced Diplomas in Counselling are:
  CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling
  CHC51712 Diploma of Counselling
  10486NAT Diploma of Counselling (Christian)
  80883ACT Diploma of Counselling and Family Therapy (Christian)
  80665ACT Diploma of Counselling and Family Therapy (Christian)
  11397ACT Diploma of Christian Counselling and Family Therapy
• Satisfactorily completes an interview with a designated Course Advisor;
• Has the capacity to become an ensured member of a relevant professional body.

Fees

Fees for 2020 are $1,704* per standard unit or $16,056 for a year of full-time study (8 units).

FEE-HELP covers all the units in the Advanced Diploma of Counselling with no gaps.  

Australian citizens and holders of a permanent humanitarian visa are eligible for FEE-HELP. Applying for FEE-HELP is very simple and is done as part of your application for admission through Stirling and only a tax file number (TFN) is needed.  Visit www.studyassist.gov.au for more information.

*Advanced Diploma in Counselling includes the following two units associated with a non-standard fee of $2,916 per unit:

• DZ2860S Theories of Ethical Counselling Integration

• DZ2075S Counselling Integration Practicum

Fees are subject to change from year to year. For more information about fees, please visit the Fees page.

How to Apply

Complete the admission form and forward to info@stirling.edu.au together with the following certified documents:

• • Proof of your citizenship this may be a full birth certificate, passport or citizenship certificate.
  • Proof of ID ie a driver’s license.
  • Transcripts of your previous study, such as a degree or diploma, certificate, VCE or other qualifications.

Follow On Study

The Advanced Diploma in Counselling meets the academic entry requirements for the Bachelor of Counselling. Graduates will need to undertake an entry interview to confirm admission into the Bachelor program.

The Master of Counselling provides students with advanced professional skills for counselling ministry and for pastoral and spiritual formation. It nurtures the formation of professional identity and vision suitable for individual and relational counselling. The course equips graduates to engage in supportive and intensive therapies with psychological competence and theological congruence.

Students are exposed to traditional knowledge and contemporary developments in the theory and skills of counselling and psychotherapy. The Master of Counselling will provide opportunities for critical study and integration from personal, social and cultural perspectives and from the perspectives of pastoral theology, ministry, mission and service.

Streams

Unit choices and study outcomes are guided by the Master of Counselling streams

Stream 1: Counselling Accreditation
The Counselling accreditation stream is for students who enter Phase 1 of the Master of Counselling without a counselling qualification but with a relevant undergraduate degree in a field such as psychology or theology. The purpose of Phase 2 for these students is to build up your hours in supervised counselling, thereby enabling you to gain accreditation with one of the two peak counsellor accreditation bodies. View Steam 1 units here.

Stream 2: Professional Development
The Professional Development stream is for students who enter Phase 1 with enough study and hours of supervised counselling to gain accreditation as a counsellor from a professional industry body. These students have typically completed aifc’s Diploma of Counselling (Christian) and Advanced Diploma of Counselling and Family Therapy (Christian) before entering Phase 1 or the Master of Counselling. The purpose of Phase 2 enrolment is therefore to advance your level of professional accreditation as well as your knowledge and skills. View Steam 2 units here.

Stream 3: Research Formation
The Research stream is for students who have a sufficient number of accredited and supervised counselling hours to already have gained higher levels of accreditation with ACA or PACFA. The purpose of Phase 2 for these students is to test your capacities and be formed for research. View Steam 3 units here.

Course structure

All units are offered online with face-to-face seminars (delivered in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne), readings, assessments and client practice hours. This is a full-time (one year) or part-time course consisting of 6 units at AQF level 9 (144 points):

• 2 units in Supervised Counselling Practicum (24 points each)
• 4 elective units (including theology/biblical studies, pastoral care, counselling, clinical pastoral education and supervision (24 points each)

Accreditation

Stirling Theological College is a member of The University of Divinity. The Master of Counselling is also accredited by ACA and PACFA.

Fees

The Master of Counselling requires completion of 6 standard postgraduate units (144 points). Fees for 2020 are $2,640 per standard unit or $15,840 for a full-time year (6 units).

Australian citizens and holders of a permanent humanitarian visa may defer the payment of fees through the FEE-HELP loan scheme. For more information about fees and FEE-HELP, please visit the Fees page.

How to Apply

Complete the admission form and forward to info@stirling.edu.au together with the following certified documents:

• Proof of your citizenship this may be a full birth certificate, passport or citizenship certificate.
• Proof of ID ie a driver’s license.
• Transcripts of your previous study, such as a degree or diploma, certificate, VCE or other qualifications.

In addition to a successful interview, a minimum grade requirement and the applicant to having access to suitable clinical experience, admission to professionally accredited counselling courses requires demonstration of self-awareness, relational capacity, ethical practice, and mature life experience as outlined in www.pacfa.org.au.

For more information, contact:
Shivon Barresi sbarresi@stirling.edu.au