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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What is the best pathway to study to become a Counsellor?

    Related Topic
    Relationships
    I want to become a Counsellor, if i had to choose i would like to specialise in family, couple/ relationships but my main priority is becoming a professional cousellor.

    Im a bit confused as to what i should study. Should i study a bachelor of psychology at university or should i just do my diploma of counselling & bachelor of counselling? Is it more beneficial to have both psychology and counselling degrees?

    A little help would be fabulous because its all very confusing!
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  • 13

    Thanks

    Dr Mark Glazebrook

    Counsellor, Social Worker

    Thank you for this question. To help remove some of the clutter that confronts you, I would suggest you start with yourself and consider your own personal values and how these are driving you towards counselling as a career.

    For example, for some people a common answer to the question, why be a counsellor? ….To help other people!

    The two key parts of this answer is HELP and PEOPLE.

    HELP can come in many forms and by narrowing down what type of help this is will assist in study choice. To illustrate, some counsellors prefer to HELP people with immediate life crisis or issues from the past. These counsellors may choose study such as psychology that can extend to six years duration or more because it offers a body of knowledge and a professional network to support the counsellor over time with the challenges of their practice work.  Shorter courses in psychology or similar, could be described as covering the fundamentals of counselling but are not able to offer the depth of learning and practice experience that longer courses provide.  The other sort of direction to consider is courses such as social work or social science which can provide you with the skills to counsel but also develop a richer understanding of the social issues or economic factors that underpin or are contributing to a person experiencing difficulties and reaching out for counselling. This understanding enables a counsellor to also bring other dimemsions to their counselling work.

    The other part PEOPLE, if this applies to you is very revealing as it gives a real insight into where you want to focus your energies and importantly the type of work that will bring you satisfaction and meaning.

    I would encourage you to consider these questions and draw on these when making contact with different educational institutions. Remember that although the process appears to suggest that the institution is selecting you, YOU are also selecting them!  Choose wisely

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  • 30

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    David Lawson

    Counsellor

    We all have times when we need to talk with a person who really listens to us, someone outside our family or social circle - … View Profile

    Its great that you are wanting to help others. The path I chose was to do a Lifeline Telephone counsellors course. This will give you good basic counselling skills and if you pass let you onto the phones. Once you have been on the crisis line for a few months you will start to get  a sense of do I like this, what would I like to do more of etc. The answers to those questions will assist you in which course you pursue.

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