How do I become a Counselling Psychologist?

Usually the path to becoming a counselling psychologist includes a 4-year undergraduate degree in psychology and either a Masters (MPsych, MA, MSc) and/or a Doctorate (DPsych, PhD) in Counselling Psychology. The APAC (Australian Psychology Accreditation Council ) accredit certain universities that have demonstrated standards at a level of quality set forth by the accrediting group. For more information regarding accrediting, what it means and which schools have been accredited in Australia visit the APAC website.

Accreditation and Registration Requirements

The following course have received accreditation from APAC and make graduates eligible for registration in their state.

APAC Accredited Postgraduate study by coursework (for the purpose of APS Membership)

An example of a Postgraduate course as offered by Curtin University of Technology:

The Master of Psychology (Counselling) provides advanced professional training to the sixth year level. The program is accredited with the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the College of Counselling Psychology within the APS. The course is a two-year full-time program (or equivalent part-time) consisting of course work, practicums and a dissertation. Graduates of the programme are entitled to specialist title registration as a Counselling Psychologist with the Psychologists Board of Western Australia, once they complete two years of supervision of full-time employment.  

The PhD (Counselling Psychology) consists of the units in the Masters programme plus a traditional PhD dissertation. The programme meets all of the criteria listed above for the APS and the Psychologists Board. The PhD is a four-year full-time (or eight-year part-time) programme. A normal PhD is three years full-time and the Masters is two years full-time, so the PhD (Counselling Psychology) reduces the amount of time involved in study, for those pursuing a combined programme. Another advantage of the PhD (Counselling Psychology) is that all programme fees are covered through automatic university scholarships, meaning that students pay no fees for all of their masters units.  The PhD prepares graduates for the professional practice of counselling psychology, for research in psychology, and for an academic career.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course is offered on either a full-time or part-time basis. There are three main parts to the course:
1.      Units which develop theoretical understanding, self-awareness and practitioner skills in counselling/psychotherapy;
2.   Practicums which offer the opportunity to apply skills in a counselling agency setting under the supervision of a psychologist;
3.      A dissertation which develops the capacity to do applied research in an area relevant to counselling  psychology.

Units are taught on the Curtin University campus, while practicums are organized in a wide variety of counselling settings. The practicums involve placements in three different counselling settings. Each placement consists of two days per week over 20 weeks. Students who are working in a counselling setting may apply to use their work setting as a practicum setting for one of the three placements. The masters dissertation is completed in the second year of the course and consists of a small, but substantial research study which is presented in the form of a publishable journal article. Advisors assist students to select topics thatmake use of their existing expertise and or work settings. The PhD dissertation is completed at the end of the four years. There is no provision for external study.

 SELECTION PROCESSES

Intake into the courses occurs in February each year and entry is competitive. Applications close on 31 October. For the Masters the minimum entry requirement is a four-year psychology degree with a strong academic record. This may consist of a B.Psych, a three-year degree plus approved psychology postgraduate diploma, or an honours degree  (at Honours IIA level or above). For the PhD the entry requirement is an Honours degree (IIA or higher) or equivalent. The selection process involves the following steps:

• Applicants submit a written application and are short-listed on the basis of their application.

• Short-listed applicants are interviewed in November

• Places are offered on the basis of assessment of the applicants academic record, employment history, references, interpersonal skills, counselling experience, personal suitability and perceived capacity to complete the course successfully.

• Offers occur in December, with second-round offers occurring in January.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

MASTER OF PSYCHOLOGY (COUNSELLING) 

The programme for a full-time student is outlined below.  Descriptions and unit outlines for all core units are included at the end of the manual. 

Master of Psychology Study Package 187204

Counselling Psychology Major 307086

  PhD (COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY)

309510  v. 1                Doctor of Philosophy (Counselling Psychology)

99173   v. 2                Doctoral Thesis - Psychology                                575