Information on this page is for Australian residents
Course not available to international students
Duration: 
2 years part time
Location: 
City Campus
Delivery mode: 
In person
Start date:
24 February 2025
Application due dates:
Direct applications are due on 16 February 2025 for our next intake which starts on 24 February 2025.
Apply

Overview

The Graduate Diploma of Counselling will extend your expertise in counselling theory and practice.

You will cover:

  • psychological theory
  • counselling interventions and psychological therapies (either for adults, or children and adolescents)
  • an understanding of a range of presenting issues, including depression, anxiety, grief and loss
  • an understanding of the ethics of the ethics of counselling
  • practical skills through industry-based learning and placement.

The course is offered part-time over two years and is designed to provide a professional foundation in counselling theory and practice. You can specialise in one of two streams:

  • general
  • child and adolescent.

This course is accredited by the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

Please note, this is not a psychology course accredited by the Australian Psychological Society.

Commonwealth Supported Places in 2023

Fees are heavily subsidised and HECS-HELP loans available for eligible students in 2023. Apply now or register your interest - there's never been a better time to study!

Following the overwhelming success of the revolutionary VU Block Model with undergraduate students, we started rolling out the Block Model to our postgraduate courses.

This course is delivered in four-week mode, which means you study one unit (subject) at a time over four weeks, rather than juggling several units at once. And with its focused timetables and smaller, collaborative classes, VU’s Block Model gives you more time to connect with your peers, lecturers and industry partners, helping you to build strong professional networks.

The VU Block Model has improved our student results and engagement, and has won multiple international awards for innovation and excellence.

VU’s Learning Hubs are welcoming spaces where you can improve your study and employability skills.

Our students can attend Learning Hubs at one of five VU campuses.

We offer maths, writing, careers and English-language advice and can show you effective ways to study and manage your time.

Our programs include:

  • workshops
  • drop-in sessions
  • peer mentoring
  • maths and writing resources
  • resume and career guidance.

We also have accessibility support services and counselling services available to all students.

Our campus libraries have photocopying, computing and printing facilities as well as electronic and print resources.

You'll also have access to a rich collection of online resources at any time of the day or night, including:

  • databases
  • e-learning content for courses
  • student email
  • student software packages
  • social networking tools.

On campus, we make sure that all of our students have access to digital resources. We offer:

Need some advice?

Request a call back from one of our experienced VUHQ course advisers to get your questions answered.

Request a call back

Careers

Graduates find employment in human services fields such as:

  • social work
  • multicultural services
  • counselling
  • family support
  • community work
  • refugee services
  • youth work.
When is a job not a job? When it’s your passion!

When is a job not a job? When it’s your passion!

After completing his Business degree and spending eight years in a related career, David realised his true passion lay in counselling.

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Course structure

To attain the Graduate Diploma in Counselling students will be required to complete:

-
96 credit points of Core studies

Select 12 credit points from either:

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Critically review counselling theories and contemporary professional literature to apply evidence-based practice to counselling interventions;  
  2. Investigate cultural and systemic elements relevant to counselling practice including inter-professional relations;  
  3. Appraise psychological theories and therapeutic approaches offered by helping professionals in relationship to the role of the counsellor;  
  4. Formulate evidence-based intervention plans for a range of counselling presentations addressing psychosocial issues;  
  5. Critically evaluate core ethical and professional conduct issues that are likely to be encountered by practising counsellors; and  
  6. Demonstrate appropriate and responsive counselling practice in a professional workplace setting.  

What's a unit?

A unit or 'subject' is the actual class you'll attend in the process of completing a course.

Most courses have a mixture of compulsory 'core' units that you need to take and optional elective units that you can choose to take based on your area of interest, expertise or experience.

Credits

Each unit is worth a set amount of study credits based on the amount of time you study. Generally, 1 credit is equal to 1 hour of study per week.

Fees & scholarships

Fee type for this course: Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)

Fee type definitions

The amount you pay for your course depends on whether you’re offered a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) or a full fee-paying place.

Students who enrol in a:

In addition to your tuition fees, you may also be charged a Student Services & Amenities Fee (SSAF).

Scholarships & assistance

Apply for a scholarship to help with your study costs.

We can help with fee assistance and advice.

Admission & pathways

Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee you entry into this course. Some courses receive more applications than the number of places available. In this situation we will also assess your education, work and other relevant experience.

If you do not meet the minimum requirements you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. We also encourage you to explore our study pathways to help you reach your goal.

Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency.

Entry requirements

Completion of an Australian Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in any discipline
OR
Completion of an Australian Graduate Diploma (or equivalent) in a similar discipline.
AND
Suitability for the profession of counselling as determined at an interview.

There are many ways you can start your education journey at VU. Pathways offer an easy transition between courses at different levels, so that you can start with a certificate and progress right through to postgraduate study.

Find out more about pathways and credits.

Use our credit calculator to find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

If you have completed study with another university or institution and believe you are eligible to receive credit for skills and past study, you can apply for advanced standing.

Applications for advanced standing can be made after a discussion with your course chair or academic adviser.

Additional information

An interview is required for applicants to this course.

Credit Calculator

Find out how much credit you could get towards your course, based on your previous study.

CALCULATE YOUR CREDIT

How to apply

Available start dates:
  • 24 February 2025

Before you apply

Before applying, you should consider whether you also want to apply for:

  • Special admission programs: Depending on your life circumstances you may be eligible for special consideration of your application.
  • Advanced standing: If you have significant experience or studies elsewhere you may be eligible for credit for some units of your course and not have to undertake them.

Find out more about applying for our courses.

Apply direct to VU

Direct applications are due on 16 February 2025 for our next intake which starts on 24 February 2025.

Apply direct to VU

Already a VU student?

If you are already a VU student, apply direct to VU using our Admissions centre to transfer into this course. Remember it’s best to be accepted into your new course before withdrawing from your current one.

After you apply

  • It’s important to check for emails from us (which may go to your spam/junk folder).
  • Complete any requests for information by the given dates, otherwise your application may not be considered

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Get help

At Victoria University, we aim to display accurate and complete course information online. However, we are unable to guarantee that every course change is currently displayed. You may contact the University directly on +61 3 9919 6100 to confirm the most up-to-date course fees, pathways and credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, admission and enrolment procedures, examinations and services available to our students.