Why study the Graduate Diploma in Counselling online with the University of Melbourne?
Become the counsellor you want to be
Counselling isn't one-size-fits-all, so your learning shouldn't be either. Whether in schools, community, healthcare or private practice, your learning is aligned to your intended focus area. With support from our placement team, you'll develop your confidence as a counsellor through placements tailored to where you want to make your impact.
Evidence-based approaches for complex conversations
Build a powerful toolkit of specialised techniques you can shape to any counselling need. Learning from world-leading academics, you'll draw on innovative narrative therapy, mental health and trauma-informed approaches to deliver support with immediate and lasting impact.
You're in control of your learning
Wherever you are, you can take charge of your learning experience. Whether this means engaging live or when it suits you; taking breaks or accelerating; connecting with others or running your own race. You're in control – of your work, study and life.
Course highlights
- Confidently support client recovery through advanced trauma and mental health practice
- Build trusted and recognised expertise backed by Australian Counselling Association (ACA) accreditation
- Gain the knowledge and expertise to respond effectively to diverse and challenging client experiences
- Demonstrate ethical counselling practice guided by legal and professional standards
- Translate research into effective, evidence-based counselling strategies you can tailor to your chosen practice setting
- Turn assessment insights into effective, client-focused interventions
- Explore innovative counselling techniques like narrative therapy informed by cutting-edge research at the University of Melbourne
- Completing our Graduate Diploma in Counselling serves as a pathway into our Master of Counselling.
Learn from world-leading academics
Benefit from expert-led contemporary learning as you prepare for the next phase of your career. Engage with our world-leading academics whose opinions are sought after by government, shaping strategy and influencing policy.
Download your course guide to meet the team responsible for the Graduate Diploma in Counselling at Australia’s #1 university^.
^ Average of the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), QS and Times Higher Education (THE) global university rankings
How we launch your counselling career
Professional placement is a cornerstone of the online Graduate Diploma in Counselling, giving you the opportunity to translate theory into meaningful practice.
With counsellors in strong demand, University of Melbourne placements have been known to lead directly to employment.
Across 105 hours of placement, you will:
- Build confidence in your skills
- Gain first-hand experience working with clients
- Work towards your Australian Counselling Association (ACA) registration.
To find out more about your placement experience, download a course guide.
To best prepare for your placement, you will complete a five-day in-person experience in Parkville's world-class biomedical precinct. This immersive experience aims to strengthen your counselling skills through supervised practice, simulation and peer feedback.
You'll complete placement preparation alongside your fellow students. This experience helps you form a supportive network of like-minded peers to learn, grow and progress together professionally.
When organising your placement, you can choose the level of support that works best for you. Your options are:
- Matched placement: We match you to a placement provider by using the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences' extensive networks. We accommodate your location and setting preferences where possible
- Self-sourced placement: You'll have the freedom to find a placement provider in an area you're passionate about.
This means you can shape an experience that's truly your own. Whether that's a particular area of focus, a specific organisation, a location that suits you, or an online placement for added flexibility.
Weekly online integration seminars are available to help keep you connected with teaching staff and fellow students. These sessions provide a regular space to share your experiences and reflect on how you're applying your learning to real-world practice.
Career outcomes
With mental health services facing increasing pressure across Australia, counsellors with advanced training are in high demand1.
Postgraduate qualifications in counselling are now the standard, demonstrating the expertise and ethical grounding needed to practise effectively.
- 85% of practising counsellors hold counselling-specific postgraduate qualifications2
- Counsellors with postgraduate qualifications report higher weekly consultations compared with vocational diploma-qualified counsellors.2
If you are an aspiring counsellor, this Graduate Diploma in Counselling provides the academic foundation required for registration with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).
This transformative qualification will prepare you for counselling and support roles across:
- Allied health
- Business
- Community services
- Disability
- Education
- Government
- Public and private hospitals
- Private practice
- Youth services.
1 Opportunities grow for registered counsellors, Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), 2025
2 Workforce Census, Australian Counselling Association, 2024
Subjects of study
The online Graduate Diploma in Counselling from the University of Melbourne is an 8-subject, transformational qualification designed to give you the tools and confidence to work with clients in complex counselling scenarios.
Supported by our world-leading academics, you'll explore evidence-based approaches to mental health and trauma-informed practice while developing practical skills through supervised placements.
arrow_right_altDownload your course guide for more information
Explore foundational and contemporary counselling theories that underpin ethical and effective practice. You will explore a range of frameworks, including psychodynamic, person-centred, cognitive behavioural and narrative approaches.
Develop the interpersonal, reflective and communication skills required for counselling practice. This subject prepares you for future residential and professional placement by building your capacity to form safe, ethical and collaborative therapeutic relationships.
Examine the ethical, legal and professional foundations of counselling practice. You will examine national and international codes of ethics, statutory obligations and regulatory frameworks that guide decision-making and protect client wellbeing. Through practical activities, you will apply ethical-reasoning models to complex scenarios and reflect on your emerging professional identity and responsibility for self-care and supervision.
This subject equips you to uphold culturally competent, accountable practice in placement and beyond.
In this subject, you will develop skills in comprehensive client assessment and psychosocial formulation. You will have opportunities to practice identifying presenting concerns, evaluate risk and protective factors, and attend to cultural, developmental, and systemic contexts.
Explore contemporary approaches to mental health and wellbeing through different lenses, including lived experience, recovery-oriented practice and trauma-informed care.
Using case-based and experiential learning, you will develop the skills to recognise distress, respond with empathy, and support pathways to culturally safe and inclusive care across diverse populations.
Develop the knowledge and skills required to respond safely, ethically, and effectively to trauma across life stages and settings. You will explore how trauma, including complex trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), impacts the brain, body, and behaviour, and examine its implications for therapeutic work.
In this hybrid subject, you will blend flexible online study with a five-day residential experience in Parkville. Building on the first six subjects, you will consolidate your counselling knowledge and skills through supervised practice sessions, immersive in-person simulations and structured peer feedback.
Practical experience is important for your counselling education, extending your development of counselling skills with real-world experience and the varied clients you will work with in professional practice.
You will undertake Counselling Placement A in a professional counselling context, guided by an approved counselling supervisor. Placements will usually be structured as two days per week for seven weeks of placement.
Weekly online integration seminars run throughout your placements, giving you a regular opportunity to reconnect with teaching staff and fellow students.
You’re in control of your learning experience
- Find freedom with the choice of how and where you study
- Have more control over your learning with the ability to take breaks from study when needed
- Receive ongoing one-on-one support from application through to graduation
- Access resources and support systems designed to help you succeed
- Experience personalised interactions from expert educators who value your development
- Gain a competitive edge with a recognised qualification from Australia’s top university^.
Find out more about the online experience at the University of Melbourne.
Entry requirements
In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed one of the following:
- A bachelors degree in a related discipline such as Health Sciences, Social Work, Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Teaching, Education or
- A bachelors degree or equivalent in any discipline, and at least two years of relevant professional work experience or
- At least six years of relevant professional work experience, including clear evidence of career development, professional writing, and professional achievement or practice comparable to that expected of undergraduate degree holders in cognate disciplines.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
arrow_right_alt Download your course guide for more information
You may be eligible if you have completed a qualification in a related discipline aligned to the field of health and human services.
Example study areas include:
- Community services
- Counselling education
- Family work
- Health sciences
- Nursing
- Occupational therapy
- Psychology
- Social sciences
- Social work
- Youth mental health
- Youth work.
You may also be eligible based on your professional experience. This includes roles demonstrating:
- Supporting individuals with emotional, social or behavioural challenges
- Working with vulnerable or at-risk populations
- Supporting learning, development, or behavioural outcomes
- Supporting patient wellbeing, recovery or care.
Examples of relevant roles include:
- Allied Health Professional
- Career Counsellor
- Case Manager
- Case Worker / Support Coordinator
- Crisis Support / Helpline Worker
- Disability Support Worker
- General Practitioner
- HR Adviser
- Learning Support Officer
- Mental Health Support Worker
- Nurse
- Occupational Therapist
- Police Officer
- Social Services
- Student Wellbeing Officer
- Teacher
- Youth Worker.
Applicants without a related degree who are applying using relevant work experience will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to confirm eligibility and academic readiness.
You may be required to provide a CV or other supporting documentation as part of the assessment process.
All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test.
If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:
- IELTS: 6.5 (with no band less than 6.0);
- TOEFL: 81 (with writing 19, speaking 19, reading 16, listening 16);
- Pearson: 64 (with no communicative skill below 60);
- Cambridge C1 Advanced: 169 (with writing 170, speaking 179, reading 163, listening 163);
- LanguageCert Academic: 67 (with writing 64, speaking 70, reading 60, listening 57);
- MET: 58 (with writing 57, speaking 48, reading 55, listening 56).
In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
- Prior academic performance; and, if relevant
- Professional experience.
The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.
Applicants are required to satisfy the university's English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required. In considering students under special entry access schemes, the Selection Committee will consider aspects of disadvantage as set out from time to time in the University of Melbourne Graduate Access policy, evidence of rurality for rural applicants, and confirmation of Aboriginality for Indigenous applicants.
Applicants who receive a course offer can apply to transfer any recognised prior learning by applying for Advanced Standing (also known as credit or recognition of prior learning).
Advanced standing is the acknowledgement of prior study or work experience. If an applicant is awarded advanced standing, the length of their degree may be reduced.
Fees and FEE-HELP
Cost per 12.5 credit point subject: $4,248*
Total cost: $34,834*
FEE-HELP is a loan that can cover all or part of tuition fees for eligible students. The Australian Government pays the amount of the loan direct to the University. It enables you to borrow the amount of your tuition fees and then pay that loan back once you are in the workforce and earning at a specified level or you can make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time.
For more information, including eligibility for FEE-HELP, download your Graduate Diploma in Counselling course guide.
*Fees are subject to annual review by the university, with any new rates effective from the beginning of each calendar year.
Other expenses
You will need to consider additional expenses associated with your course, including the cost of placement, residential component, any required checks and accommodation.
Designed for impact
"Counselling offers a remarkable career, helping individuals, families and communities, shaping policy and services, and working across health, education, community and private sectors. Drawing on my extensive counselling and leadership experience, I look forward to guiding you to develop not only therapeutic skills but professional confidence, adaptability and ethical practice so you can make a meaningful, sustained difference wherever your career leads."
Dr Lyndal Hickey
Course Director, online Master of Counselling
Enquire and receive your course guide
Discover more information on our courses, including:
- Entry requirements
- Career outcomes
- Subject descriptions
- Fees and FEE-HELP.
Related courses
Find the qualification that helps you make a difference in the spaces you care about with our counselling and youth mental health courses.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, counsellors are in demand across Australia. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports that mental health service use in Australia has increased significantly in recent years, resulting in a broader need for qualified support professionals.
For those entering the field with strong credentials, the outlook is promising. University of Melbourne placements have been known to lead directly to employment. A reflection of how much demand there is for work-ready graduates.
Placement is organised in one of two ways: you can be matched to a provider, or you can source your own. Both options come with full support from our dedicated placement team. Your options are:
- Matched placement: We match you to a placement provider by using the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences' extensive networks. We accommodate your location and setting preferences where possible
- Self-sourced placement: You'll have the freedom to find a placement provider in an area you're passionate about.
For those completing the graduate diploma or masters, you’ll come together with your fellow students for a five-day in-person experience at Parkville's world-class biomedical precinct in Melbourne. Taking place before your first placement, the experience is an immersive few days of supervised practice, simulation and peer feedback, designed to sharpen your skills and build confidence before stepping into the field. It's also a great opportunity to connect with the people you'll be learning alongside throughout the degree.
Yes, it is possible to complete your placement online via telehealth. The Australian Counselling Association (ACA) supports telehealth-only placements in its guidelines, reflecting the growing role of digital service delivery across the counselling profession.
If remote placement is of interest to you, we recommend communicating this to our placement team early in your studies, so we can help ensure the host organisation you arrange meets the relevant placement requirements.
Yes, a graduate diploma in counselling does allow you to become registered with the ACA as a qualified counsellor.
While a graduate diploma can support entry-level ACA membership, a masters-level qualification is increasingly expected by employers across schools, healthcare, community services and private practice.
A graduate diploma in counselling is ideal for professionals who want to:
- Transition into a counselling career
- Strengthen their existing practice with a postgraduate counselling qualification
- Dip their toes into counselling without committing to a full masters degree.
A graduate diploma in counselling is also well suited to those working in people-centred professions such as education or health who want to deepen their ability to support others.
No, this course is only available to domestic students in Australia.