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Diploma · national qualification

Diploma of Counselling

This diploma prepares you to work as a counsellor in an agency or community organisation, supporting clients through personal and psychological difficulties.

Compare 14 providers
Illustration of a person working as counsellor
How long it takes
6 to 12 months
full time at TAFE NSW
What it costs
From $5,723
Subsidised at Chisholm Institute, full fee up to $13,393
How you can study
Online or on campus
Main job
Counsellor
$112,000 median pay
Taught by
14 providers
Every state and territory

Is this course right for you?

What the Diploma of Counselling asks of you, and what you might want to check first.

It helps to have

  • an interest in listening to people and understanding their concerns
  • a calm, patient approach to people in distress
  • good communication skills, including clear speaking and careful listening
  • a willingness to reflect on your own practice and keep learning

Before you start

N/A

Where this course can take you

Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.

Jobs you can do with it

  • Counsellor

    Counsellors talk with people through emotional, behavioural or relationship difficulties and help them find their own way of coping and moving forward.

    What else you need

    Defined, supported counselling roles in established agencies; the source does not establish independent practice. Check employer and professional association requirements.

    Median pay$112,000

If you study further

Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list.

What it costs

Subsidised place

From $5,723

at Chisholm Institute. Whether you get a subsidised place depends on your state, residency, age and earlier study.

Paying the full fee

$13,315 to $13,393

across the TAFEs listed below. Private providers set their own fees.

  • Chisholm InstituteVIC

    Subsidised
    $5,723
    Full fee
    $13,393

  • TAFE QueenslandQLD

    Full fee
    $13,315

Fees as each TAFE shows them on its website, read 20 September 2026. Private providers set their own fees.

Where you can study this course

There are 14 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.

What you’ll learn

17 units: 13 that everyone takes and 4 you choose.

  • Counselling interview skills
  • Building client relationships
  • Responding to crisis
  • Selecting counselling therapies
  • Case management
  • Legal and ethical practice
See all 13 core units

Core units

Everyone completes these. Select a unit to see what it covers.

  • Loading the details for CHCCCS019…

Questions to ask before you enrol

Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.

  1. When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
  2. What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
  3. Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
  4. Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?

Related courses

The national training register, training.gov.au. TAFE course pages, read 20 September 2026. Google reviews. Pay and shortage status from Jobs and Skills Australia.