The Master of Counselling Practice is an innovative program that blends flexible delivery modes with contemporary teaching and learning practices to advance professional counsellors in their knowledge and practice of counselling. The program is well suited to people who work with individuals, families, groups and communities in various fields and circumstances, such as loss and grief issues, mental health and wellbeing, domestic violence, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol issues, relationship issues and others.

Through practical training you gain advanced knowledge, skills and experience in professional counselling, family therapy, supervision, and ethical practice competencies in a live clinical context.  Courses are integrated between counselling and mental health, counselling and addictions, engaging effectively with Aboriginal people, child, adolescent and family relationship counselling, and counselling interventions focusing on experiential practices.

You undertake your clinical practice component in USC’s Community Counselling Centre and complete up to 200 hours of counselling and supervision tasks as a member of a reflecting team. These counselling and supervision sessions encompass a variety of approaches and paradigms, and your team-based clinical practice is carefully supervised. You also complete an industry research project to analyse your counselling practice in the clinic, and prepare an article on a counselling issue related to your practice framework.

As a graduate, you can expect to find career opportunities in human service settings such as health, welfare, community services, human resources, private practice counselling, education, child and family services, child protection services, family counselling and rehabilitation counselling.

The program is offered to those with an approved three-year undergraduate degree in the discipline, who wish to acquire advanced professional and counselling skills. Applicants are required to complete an additional questionnaire and attend an interview.

Admission requirements

A student entering the Master of Counselling Practice will normally be required to hold an approved 3-year degree in the discipline. Entry by non-graduates who have extensive relevant industry experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Business.

Applicants are required to complete an additional questionnaire and attend an interview.

Requirements for placements

You must hold a current Blue Card # before starting your first supervised counselling experience. Blue Card applications should be submitted with your application to USC. If you do not submit an application, or apply but are ineligible, you will not be able to undertake the professional experience components of the program.

# Blue Cards are issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. More information on Blue Cards and how to apply.

Professional recognition

Graduates will be eligible to apply for membership with the Queensland Counsellors Association; Queensland Association for Family Therapists; Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA); and Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP).

If you elect to follow the Mental Health or the Addiction stream, you will also be eligible to apply for membership with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) Register of Mental Health Practitioners; and Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP) Sub-Register of Mental Health Practitioners.