Become an insightful practitioner and find ‘the good life’ with us.
At the University of Divinity, in addition to learning the ways of people and training in professional counselling skills, you’ll be equipped for counselling in the mid-21st century. Come and learn about cutting edge topics including the role of artificial intelligence in mental health, and gain basic business skills to prepare you for private practice.
The Counselling Program is offered by the School of Professional Practice.
Going national!
From Semester 2, 2023 the Bachelor of Counselling will be taught in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.
Why study Counselling with the University of Divinity?

Leading student experience in Australia
The University of Divinity is nationally recognised as having one of the most positive student experiences of any university in Australia.
Equity based allocation of Commonwealth Supported Places
The University of Divinity has been awarded Commonwealth supported places for the Bachelor of Counselling in 2023 and 2024. Places are allocated on equity to assist students from disadvantaged backgrounds. A Commonwealth supported place (CSP) is a place at a university where the government pays part of your fees. This part is a subsidy, not a loan, and you don’t have to pay it back.
For the purposes of Equity Places, disadvantaged groups include:
- students from low SES backgrounds
- students from inner regional, outer regional, remote and very remote areas
- students who are first in family to study at university
- First Nations students
- students with a disability


Benefit from a combination of online and on-campus study
Our experience shows that students benefit most from a combination of flexible online learning, and face-to-face learning. In the Bachelor of Counselling all of your units will be blended in some way. A unit of study, for example, may be largely online and require students to meet face-to-face as a class for an intensive. Later in the course you will undertake placements which will require that you counsel clients and seek clinical supervision. This is another form of blended learning.
The benefit of this blended approach is that it provides you with the flexibility you need to learn in a way which suits your lifestyle while acknowledging that counselling is a very human profession requiring that students meet together to practice and refine their skills under the watchful guidance of an experienced practitioner. A good analogy comes from Japanese martial arts. You may practice various skills at home but in the dojo your skills get refined with others under the guidance of a sensei.
A unique approach to counselling training
At the University of Divinity we seek to attract a diverse range of students who can gift insights from their ‘lived experience’ to their classmates and to their clients later on. In fact, a ‘wounded healer’ model of training is often the best as students come with empathy and knowledge that can’t be learnt from textbooks.
Our curriculum is designed to help you find ‘the good life’ and so, in turn, help your future clients to do the same. We therefore don’t just focus on counselling skills but also on virtues such as hope, courage, and compassion. We want you to engage the human condition in all its messiness and beauty.
We also want to meet the challenges of the mid-21st century. You will also learn about Artificial Intelligence in mental health and basic business skills amongst other interesting topics. As a graduate, you’ll be well prepared for the workplace and for future client needs.

Testimonial
Thank you for having the best teachers to teach us. … The lecturers you chose were such beautiful human beings. Such learned people who taught with so much compassion, patience and understanding it made me feel safe to ask questions… I learned so much from them and they made us feel empowered.
Nancy (1st year student, 2023)
Already curious?
Send us a message to register your interest in the course, ask a question, or receive course advice.
Study Information
Locations and Mode
The Bachelor of Counselling is offered by the University’s School of Professional Practice.
All units use blended learning, to enable flexibility around work/life commitments.
Blended learning means a mix of online and face-to-face components.
Learning materials will be available through online modules for students to access at any time 24/7 during the unit.
Tutorials and Seminars are scheduled outside normal working hours to permit flexibility.
Intensives have an experiential focus and are a great way to meet your fellow classmates in person. They are held over 4 consecutive week-days and involve a combination of online (morning) and face-to-face (afternoon) sessions, usually scheduled around week 5 or 6 of the unit. Intensives are held at hub locations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
There are three patterns of delivery:
Pattern 1 (Synchronous online + Intensive)
- 4 day intensive (required)
- 7 online modules
- 7 weekly 1-hour online evening tutorials (optional)
Pattern 2 (Synchronous online)
- 8 online modules
- 8 weekly 2-hour online evening seminars (required)
- 8 weekly 1-hour online evening tutorials (optional)
Pattern 3 (Placement + Asynchronous online)
- Clinical placement with supervision
- Online modules
Unit Progression
To complete the Bachelor of Counselling as a full-time student, you will undertake 24 units over a three-year period. The units should be taken in the order provided below. Please contact the Program Director for assistance with (re)enrolments.
Standard timetable of unit progression
Year One
Unit Code | Unit Name | Unit Type | Pattern type | Term | Day of class | Start time |
CO1001Z | Expressing Integrity Through Excellence In Academic And Professional Communication | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 1 | Tuesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO1002Z | Self, Profession, And Society | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 1 | Tuesday | Tutorials: 7pm |
CO1003Z | Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, And Decision-Making | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 2 | Tuesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO1004Z | The Human Condition | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 1, Term 2 | Wednesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO1005Z | Introduction To Counselling | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 3 | Tuesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO1006Z | Engaging Diversity | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 3 | Wednesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO1007Z | Introduction To Psychology | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 4 | Tuesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO1008Z | Data Literacy For Clinicians | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 4 | Wednesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
Year Two
Unit Code | Unit Name | Unit Type | Pattern type | Term | Day of class | Start time |
CO2001Z | Human Development, Personality, And Identity | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 1, Term 1 | Thursday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO2002Z | Working With Children, Adolescents, And Older Adults | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 1 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO2003Z | Trauma-Informed Counselling In The Context Of Loss and Grief | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 2 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO2004Z | Working In, And With, Culture | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 2 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 7pm |
CO2005Z | Working With Couples And Families | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 1, Term 2 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 7pm |
CO2006Z | What Is Abnormal?: The Individual, Diagnostics, And Society | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 3 | Thursday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO2007Z | Counselling Ethics, The Law, And Best-Practice | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 3 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO2008Z | Self-Care And The Workplace | Core | Placement + Asynchronous online This unit also includes a 4-day intensive | Semester 2, Term 4 | ||
CO2009Z | Strengths-Based Counselling For Marginalised People | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 4 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO2010Z | Counselling Survivors And Perpetrators Of Domestic Violence | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 4 | Wednesday | Tutorials: 6pm |
Year Three
Unit Code | Unit Name | Unit Type | Pattern type | Term | Day of class | Start time |
CO3001Z | Placement – Part A | Core | Placement + Asynchronous online | Semester 2, Term 1 | ||
CO3002Z | Complex Clients: Neurodiversity, Addictions, And Personality Disorders | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 1 | Tuesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO3003Z | Virtues-Based Counselling: Working With Hope, Courage, And Compassion | Core | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 2 | Thursday | Tutorials: 6pm |
CO3004Z | Intimacy, Sex(ualities), And Gender | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 2 | Thursday | Tutorials: 7pm |
CO3005Z | Working With Groups, Teams, And Leaders | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 2 | Thursday | Tutorials: 7pm |
CO3006Z | Placement – Part B | Core | Placement + Asynchronous online | Semester 2, Term 3 | ||
CO3007Z | Emerging Technologies, AI, And The Business Of Counselling | Core | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 3 | Tuesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO3008Z | Capstone Project | Core | Placement + Asynchronous online | Semester 2, Term 4 | ||
CO3009Z | The Role Of Faith, Religion, And Spirituality In Wellbeing | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online | Semester 2, Term 4 | Tuesday | Seminars: 6pm Tutorials: 8pm |
CO3010Z | CO3010Z The Well Community | Elective (choose one) | Synchronous online + Intensive | Semester 2, Term 4 | Thursday | Tutorials: 6pm |
Unit start dates 2023
Unit | Start date |
---|---|
Expressing integrity through excellence in academic and professional communication | 27 February |
Self, profession and society | 27 February |
Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making | 24 April |
The human condition | 24 April |
Introduction to counselling | 31 July |
Engaging diversity | 31 July |
Introduction to psychology | 25 September |
Data literacy for clinicians | 25 September |
Professional accreditation
The Bachelor of Counselling is accredited by the Australian Counselling Association.

The Australian Counselling Association (ACA) is the largest professional association for registered counsellors in the country. Through the ACA members may receive a journal, industry updates, access to local chapter meetings, access to accredited supervisors, and a host of professional development opportunities. Membership also gives clients the peace of mind that their counsellor is acting in accordance with a code of ethics and best practice.
How to apply
If you have questions about the course, please use the enquiry form on this webpage.
Once you’re ready to apply, fill out the application form. You’ll be contacted to arrange a time for an interview with the Counselling Program Director, Dr Tom Edwards. The purpose of the interview is to ensure that this course is right for you.
Admission Form for Counselling
Email your application form to the School of Professional Practice, at spp-support@divinity.edu.au
Meet our Program Director

Dr Tom Edwards
Counselling
Beginning his career in behavioural neuroscience Tom has since shifted his academic interests from the brain to the mind. He is particularly interested in a cluster of virtues which contribute to a cognitive architecture that is evolutionarily consistent and socially relevant. Tom has published in high impact factor journals and spoken at a number of […]
Academic Associates and Consultant Practitioners

Dr Jim Phillips
Counselling

Assoc Prof Matt Sharpe
Counselling

Ireni Farag
St Athanasius College

Dr Cos Chiera
Counselling

Rev Dr Thien Nguyen
Yarra Theological Union

Rev Dr John Martis
Catholic Theological College

Karen Broadley
Counselling

Prof Anne Pattel-Gray
School of Indigenous Studies

Nancye Cottrell
School of Professional Practice

Dr Helen Ayres
School of Professional Practice

Dr Yane Damanik
School of Professional Practice
Student Support
Email the School of Professional Practice team, at spp-support@divinity.edu.au
