Admission and Unit Information - Graduate Certificate in Counselling
Admission
Applicants must have successfully completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline.
and
Participate in a group interview on campus to demonstrate their suitability for the program.
Invitations to the interview process will be selective, based on CV and letter, and interviewees will be ranked, as numbers admitted to the program are limited.
Information for applicants about the interview:
Prior to the interview, applicants will be required to submit a detailed CV to ssap@uws.edu.au and an accompanying letter of application addressing the following:
* Reason for wishing to pursue a counselling qualification
* Relevant life experience
* Relevant work or volunteer experience
Applications from Australian and New Zealand citizens and permanent resident visas must be made via the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC).
Applicants who have undertaken studies overseas may have to provide proof of proficiency in English. Local and International applicants who are applying through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) will find details of minimum English proficiency requirements and acceptable proof on the UAC website. Local applicants applying directly to UWS should also use the information provided on the UAC website.
Course Structure
Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 40 credit points including the units listed in the recommended sequence below.
Recommended sequence
Part-time
Year 1
First session
Counselling 1 is a foundational unit for postgraduate counselling and therapeutic studies. It forms the first part of a 40 credit point sequence undertaken during the first year. Counselling 1 presents the foundational skills necessary for the successful inception of a productive counselling relationship. The sequenced, progressive presentation of these skills via experiential learning is framed by the simultaneous presentation of key theoretical concepts relevant to the skills in question. Students will be required to analyse the features of their own personalities, and to reflect on feedback that they receive from others in the role of counsellor, in order to develop the self-awareness and sensitivity necessary for this professional role.
Second session
Counselling 2 is a foundational unit for postgraduate counselling and therapeutic studies. It forms the second part of a 40 credit point sequence undertaken during the first year. Counselling 2 offers further practice in foundational counselling skills introduced in Counselling 1. In addition, students are introduced to skills appropriate to the unfolding counselling relationship, those that involve an authentic ‘encounter’ between counsellor and client. Continued skills practice in triads is required, plus completion of eight sessions of counselling with a volunteer client who has already studied in this, or a similar, program.. Assessment tasks will require in-depth analysis of the student’s skills and countertransference in an unfolding counselling relationship. Theoretical perspectives will include concepts of problem-formation and change facilitation across the major paradigms; and stages and change-points in the adult life cycle, with appropriateness of varying therapeutic models to each stage.
