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Master of Counselling (Mental Health Counselling)
PostgraduateUSQ-MHC-MAS2025
Become an expert mental health counsellor
Study psychological disorders and treatments. You’ll analyse mental health counselling in Australia– including relevant legislation and policies. This is an accredited postgraduate counselling degree. It includes on-campus learning and clinical experience.
- Study method
- Online & on-campus
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 2 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 16
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
Master of Counselling (Mental Health Counselling)
About this degree
- Upon completion of this program, graduates will be able to: Apply a core body of knowledge, including contemporary theories and models central to counselling assessment, client-centered therapy, and clinical supervision that is both trauma informed and culturally sensitive. Effectively utilise a range of advanced interpersonal, written, oral and digital literacy skills that are appropriate from a decolonising perspective when communicating with culturally diverse audiences including clients and professionals, utilising person-first language. Apply critical reasoning, reflective practice, and professional and ethical judgement with initiative to identify and resolve a range of therapeutic, professional, legal and ethical practice issues. Consolidate theory and practice within a trauma informed culturally sensitive integrative framework to effectively provide counselling within diverse cultural and practice contexts and client groups. Critically evaluate relevant research literature, methodologies and findings to inform practice development and to conduct research.
- Specialise in supporting people with mental health conditions. Develop your expertise in topics including mental health paradigms, psychological disorders, their aetiology, evidence-based treatment approaches, and assessment models. This is a qualifying specialisation – students from a non-counselling background can study this postgraduate counselling degree. Graduates of this specialisation meet the educational requirements for entry into the counselling profession. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the context of mental health practice and study the theories, legislation, policies and standards that underpin mental health practice in Australia. This degree provides you with the opportunity to undertake a substantial research project or choose to do a smaller capstone project to further your research skills. Most of the Master of Counselling courses are undertaken online to allow greater flexibility to fit study into your life. To enhance your practice, you’ll attend mandatory residential schools at UniSQ Ipswich campus to meet the required number of hours of face-to-face instruction. Develop your applied skills further utilising our telehealth system simulations and working with the community and alongside clinical supervisors in UniSQ's Psychology and Counselling clinics in Toowoomba and Ipswich.
Recommended study pattern
Year 1
COU5101 Counselling Skills and Applications
COU5041 Trauma Informed Care and Practice
COU6031 Understanding Mental Health Through Different Lenses
COU5104 Counselling Frameworks
COU6103 Presenting Issues and Mental Health
COU6032 Mental Health Practice: Presenting Conditions and Interventions
COU5105 Counselling and Diversity Across the Lifespan
COU6102 Professional Counselling Practice, Identity and Ethics
Year 2
HSC6050 Research Methodology for Human Sciences
COU6106 Group Counselling and Other Settings
COU6050 Masters Counselling Practicum
COU6040 Counselling Capstone Project (2-unit)
2 x Approved CoursesAward requirements
Completion of 16 units as outlined in the Recommended Study Pattern section.Choose your subjects
Majors
- Advanced Practice
- Alcohol and Drug Studies
- Child, Youth and Family Therapy
- Foundations of Practice
- Mental Health Counselling
Electives
Approved Courses List
COU8011 Assessment for Substance Misuse
COU8012 Motivational Interviewing
COU8013 Introduction to Psychoactive Drugs
COU8014 Relapse Prevention
COU8021 Couple and Family Counselling
COU8022 Child and Youth Counselling
EDU5325 Child Abuse and Neglect: Intervention, Protection and Prevention
Exit points
Graduate Diploma of Counselling, Graduate Certificate of Counselling.
Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.
Indicative first year fee
$25,760
Indicative total fee $51,520
The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.
Fees may vary depending on:
- the subjects you choose
- credit from previous work experience
- your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.
To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.
As Australia’s #1 university for graduate starting salary (Good Universities Guide, 2022), University of Southern Queensland is the right place to make real progress. Regardless of your education history, your age or your aspirations, at UniSQ you’ll be inspired by quality learning experiences matched with top resources and research. Having delivered distance and online learning for over 40+ years, UniSQ supports you to learn at your own pace—exactly how it suits you.
Learn more about USQ.
Explore USQ courses.
- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 24
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 25
Entry requirements
There are two different admission requirement processes depending on whether you are applying for the qualifying Master of Counselling, or the Master of Counselling (Advanced Entry).
Pathway 1:
Qualifying Master of Counselling - Completion of an Australian university 3-year bachelor degree, or equivalent, in any area. Completion of at least 50% of the Graduate Diploma of Counselling at UniSQ, or equivalent qualification from another institution, and have a grade point average (GPA) of 4 or higher for the Capstone Project research option, and a GPA of 5 or higher for the Research Project option.
Participate in group reflection with members of School staff and other applicants. Provide a report addressing the following selection criteria (informed by the PACFA Training Standards and UniSQ’s inherent requirements). Write a statement of no more than 2 pages that addresses:
(1) Studying for (or holding) a Graduate Diploma of Counselling (UniSQ) with evidence of GPA.
(2) Applicants not currently enrolled in a UniSQ Graduate Diploma of Counselling must supply names and contact details of two referees (preferably including a professional report from an academic, a counsellor, a psychologist, a social worker, or similar professional).
(3) Effective relationship skills, attitudes, and behaviours.
(4) Demonstrated life maturity.
(5) Openness to receiving, considering, and integrating feedback.
(6) Commitment to ethical, professional and trustworthy behaviour.
(7) Commitment to engage fully in the process of counselling training. (8) Willingness to attend a group reflection with members of school staff and other applicants. Proof of meeting the English Language Proficiency requirements is also required.
All students are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements. For entry to the Master of Counselling (Mental Health Counselling) program, applicants are required to meet the Category 3 English Language Proficiency requirements.
- Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the UniSQ Credit and Exemption Procedure. Claims for credit for previous study should be submitted prior to or at the time of enrolment. Each claim will be assessed on individual merit in line with UniSQ policy.
Study method requirements
Practical and/or clinical experience will be undertaken as part of the program (with the exception of the Advanced Practice stream). Students will negotiate supervised industry placement where they will have to demonstrate competency in those components of the course(s) that require application in a counselling situation.
Students undertaking practical and/or clinical experience are responsible for their own transport to and from their clinical placements and are also responsible for their own safety in organising that transport, whether public or private.
Students must have a Blue Card issued by the Commission of Children and Young People and Child Guardian in Queensland or its respective interstate equivalent, or be a registered health professional who qualifies for a professional exemption, to enrol in COU8050 Masters Counselling Practicum. These courses must be satisfactorily completed in order to graduate from the Master of Counselling.
Mandatory Documents required prior to commencing ANY clinical placements in the program:
- Blue Card or Working with Children Check
- Australian Police Certificate
- Resume
- USQ Student Declaration
- USQ Placement Request Form.
Residential School requirements to complete practical components of some courses.
Career opportunities
Professional recognition
The Master of Counselling (Qualifying) is accredited by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) and the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) which enables registration as a Counsellor with the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP).Australian job snapshots
Data sourced from Australian Jobs 2023.
| Role | Earnings | Employment change |
|---|---|---|
| Careers Counsellors | $75K to $93K | N/A^ |
| Counsellors | $75K to $93K | Up 12.6% |
| Health and Welfare Services Managers | Over $120K | Up 56.6% |
| Social Workers | $75K to $93K | Up 29.8% |
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