Counselling is one of the most sought-after jobs in Australia. The nationally recognised CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling equips you with the basic knowledge and skills to embark on your counselling career.
This course provides the training and necessary theoretical knowledge to counsel and improve the quality of life of clients struggling to cope with life stressors. At this level, the counsellor will work in specified and supported counselling roles in established agencies rather than in independent practice.
If you are new to counselling or want to pursue your career in behavioural sciences, CHC51015 Diploma in Counselling is an excellent stepping stone for a bright future. It gives you real-world skills and knowledge, underpinned by a strong philosophical framework that can be applied in your personal and professional life.
*IHNA’s Diploma of Counselling course won’t lead to direct membership with ACA.
Course Duration : | 12 Months |
AQF Level : | 5 |
Mode of Delivery : | Blended |
Delivery Locations : | Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane |
Professional Experience Placement (PEP) : |
NIL |
IHNA Policies, Procedures & Forms | |
Check this course currency on the National Register of VET |
“This training is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government Funding”
The Diploma of Counselling provides individuals with the skills to offer professional support and guidance to people experiencing personal or psychological challenges. This course covers vital communication techniques, counselling methodologies, and ethical practice. Graduates are prepared for roles such as Counsellor or Support Worker, providing care and advice in community services, healthcare, or educational settings.
17 units of competency are required for this qualification.
CHCCSL001 | Establish and confirm the counselling relationship |
CHCCSL002 | Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills |
CHCCSL003 | Facilitate the counselling relationship and process |
CHCCSL004 | Research and apply personality and development theories |
CHCCCS019 | Recognise and respond to crisis situations |
CHCCSL005 | Apply learning theories in counselling |
CHCCSL006 | Select and use counselling therapies |
CHCCSL007 | Support counselling clients in decision-making processes |
CHCCSM005 | Develop, facilitate, and review all aspects of case management |
CHCDIV001 | Work with diverse people |
CHCDIV002 | Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety |
CHCLEG001 | Work legally and ethically |
CHCPRP003 | Reflect on and improve own professional practice |
CHCFAM003 | Support people to improve relationships |
CHCCCS017 | Provide loss and grief support |
CHCDFV001 | Recognise and respond appropriately to domestic and family violence |
CHCAOD001 | Work in an alcohol and other drugs context |
Pathway from this qualification
Graduates may progress to higher level qualifications within and/or across the community sector.
Potential pathways within the Counselling sector are identified below:
The total tuition cost for domestic students for the CHC51015 – Diploma of Counselling is:
State | Funding |
Victoria | If the student is eligible, for Government funding, student pays: $0 |
Western Australia | Check with us for Domestic Scholarships |
New South Wales | Check with us for Domestic Scholarships |
*This training is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government Funding
*The Student tuition fees are indicative only and are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. Additional fees may apply such as Student service and resource fees
Over 50 years of age? Speak to our team to avail 50% course fee scholarship.
.To know more about the IHNA Fees & Charges, click here.
We would like to inform you about a recent surge in cyber scams. Your security is of utmost importance to us, and we want to ensure that you stay safe from potential threats.
Scammers have been employing sophisticated tactics to deceive individuals and steal sensitive information. It’s essential to be vigilant and cautious when dealing with online communications and transactions.
For IHNA’s students, it’s good to know that IHNA’s bank account details are not shared through email. Instead, the information is accessible through the secure Student Hub under Student Invoice & Payment. This method ensures that only authorised users with secure login credentials can access and view the information.
Additionally, making payments through the IHNA website provides another secure option for transactions, ensuring that personal and financial details are handled in a safe and protected environment.
For any questions or concerns related to payments or account details, students should reach out to IHNA directly through official contact channels (accounts@ihna.edu.au) to ensure the highest level of security and privacy.
Melbourne Campus |
Perth Campus |
Sydney Campus |
Brisbane Campus |
(Blended: online real time theory tutorials with on campus skills training in a simulation environment)
20 contact hours per week will be delivered through synchronised Online learning and simulation based training.
Besides the above structured learning, students are advised that they will be required to do approximate 10 hours per week of unstructured learning.
The blended delivery mode is only available to domestic students on selected campuses and subject to eligibility.
*Please call your respective campus location for more details.
There are no pre-requisites or any other training package entry requirements for this course.
IHNA has in place admission criteria for courses in its scope as required by its ‘Application and Enrolment Procedure for VET Courses’ to ensure that candidates meet industry requirements.
All IHNA students must complete the Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital (LLND) assessment to ensure that students meet the necessary requirements for successfully undertaking the course. IHNA administers the LLND test to evaluate each student’s suitability.
Our approach is to collect evidence on whether the student can perform to the standards of the workplace. This is based on the relevant unit of competency, and you’ll find these tools being used:
The questions or knowledge-based assessments are made up of a series of relevant short to medium length questions and multiple-choice options for learners to respond.
The simulation assessments are supervised -online (real time) simulated activities consisting of various methods. They may include the following: Group and individual role plays, individual and group activities including presentations.
With RPL we assess your competency based on formal, non-formal, informal learning or direct work experience based on the required skills of the course.
We use CT where you’ve completed units of study at another TAFE College or Registered Training Organisation that meet the requirements of another course. We grant credit according to the Certification, Issuing, and Recognition of Qualifications and Statements of Attainment. Assessing a CT is free.
If you’re eligible for RPL or CT you may be able to complete the course in a shorter duration with reduction to total course fees. Check your eligibility with us.
L – Portfolio is a collection of work, skills and interests (evidence) in an electronic format that showcases learning and experience over time.
When you think about your L-Portfolio and the types of evidence that it contains, it is important to think carefully about its purpose and intended audience.
Your L-Portfolio may contain all or some of the following:
Recognition of Prior Learning application:
Our RPL tool is in the form of an L-Portfolio, and allows students to put on record all their life experiences, interests and skills. Not only will their academic achievement be listed out, but also any life experiences that could potentially be taken into account for extra credit as Recognition of Prior Learning. For instance, an individual who has taken care of his or her bedridden parent has already gained valuable caregiver experience, which could be chalked up against practical expertise and added to their resume.
This L-Portfolio could be sent to employers when applying for work, to universities while applying for extra credits through RPL, or in any other ways to market their expertise.
Showcase/Professional L Portfolios
These L-Portfolios are used as a way to demonstrate (showcase) the highlights of a student’s academic and professional career.
Learning Portfolios
These portfolios are typically created by a student as part of a course as a way to demonstrate learning and the learning process. These portfolios are often shared with other students to elicit peer feedback. Learning portfolios support the idea of formative feedback as an essential part of the learning process.
Call us on 1800 22 52 83 for any questions regarding your application.
CHC51015 – Diploma of Counselling Review at the Institute of Health and Nursing Australia.
This course has been a great source of learning for me. The content and format of learning that I had from this course was very intensive and I learned a lot. For one I had no idea that I would be reading and publishing Journals that I have written or worked on in collaboration with others. I have had to discuss different topics in the discussion area which proved to be very informative for me and was a great experience for me. Learning online and completing group work with other students from around Australia to learn from each other and share experiences and ideas and working together to complete roleplays for experience with counselling scenarios.
I found the course to be very comprehensive and informative, especially since there was a lot to learn about from the effects of the trauma and second is the fact that I learned to do research. There were different stage of doing a research like brainstorming the research question, writing a literature review and writing assessments. I hope that this learning process would be helpful in shaping my future as a counsellor in a school setting working with students to find their way through life’s hurdles and to help them become everything they dream of achieving and by being able to be a sounding board and help them when things are not going smoothly in their life and see them come out the other side and succeed.
I would like to thank the whole administration of IHNA for their efforts and the opportunity that I got to attend this course and complete it successfully. Sometimes I wished I got more feedback on my assignments and how well I answered the questions rather than just receiving a satisfactory and not be able to read the feedback as was closed and unable to view. The overall help and assistance and support given by the lead instructors and the AQC- academic quality coordinator and the IT support were very helpful and made it easier to resolve issues as they arose with a quick turnaround. I am especially thankful to Meril Manuel for all her help during and support during weekly Support sessions and also when I couldn’t get any other help with unlocking of an assessment, Meril was able to follow up for me and had the assessment opened in no time, so I am very grateful to her for all her help and support.
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We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.