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QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): External: GCCO02; Online: GCCO03

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Program aims

The aim of the Graduate Certificate of Counselling is to allow students and professionals to develop knowledge, skills and expertise in one of four specialist counselling areas. The GCCO provides specialist knowledge and is designed to advance the knowledge base of individuals already working in the field. The four specialisations are:

• Alcohol and Drug Studies

• Child, Youth and Family Therapy

• Mental Health Counselling

• Foundations of Practice

Students can also choose to complete a general specialisation. The Graduate Certificate of Counselling is available to graduates of human services, counselling, health, nursing, psychology and other allied disciplines. Students completing the Graduate Certificate of Counselling are not eligible for registration as counsellors. Students wishing to seek registration as a counsellor are advised to complete the GDCN Graduate Diploma of Counselling

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Program objectives

On completion of the award, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of theories and models fundamental to fields associated with counselling

2. Demonstrate advanced interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills

3. Demonstrate ability to apply critical reasoning, judgment and problem solving to a range of professional, legal, and ethical practice issues

4. Please note that because there are 4 specialisations, each specialisation has a different final objective:

   • Foundations of Practice: Consolidate theory and practice within an integrative framework to effectively provide counselling within diverse contexts and client groups, including Indigenous Australians.

   • Child, Youth and Family Therapy: Integrate theory and practice to develop counselling interventions for working with children, youth, couples, and families, within diverse contexts and groups.

   • Mental Health Counselling: Consolidate theory and practice within an integrate framework to effectively provide counselling to individuals with mental health difficulties.

   • Alcohol and Drug Studies: Integrate theory and practice to develop counselling interventions and administer holistic assessment for clients impacted by alcohol and drugs.

   
   

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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Completion of an Australian university three-year bachelor degree, or equivalent, in any area.

• English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

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Program fees

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling has four specialisations. Students may also complete a Graduate Certificate of Counselling with a general specialisation, which allows them to choose any four courses. The requirements for each of these options are listed below:

Foundations of Practice specialisation

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Foundations of Practice) consists of four level 8 compulsory courses.

Alcohol and Drug Studies specialisation

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Alcohol and Drug Studies) consists of four level 8 courses.

Child, Youth and Family Therapy specialisation

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Child, Youth and Family Therapy) consists of two level 8 core courses, one level 5 core course and one approved course.

Mental Health Counselling specialisation

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling (Mental Health Counselling) consists of three level 8 core courses and one choice of an approved course.

General specialisation

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling (General) can be attained after completing four courses from within any of the Graduate Certificate of Counselling specialisations and may include other graduate courses related to counselling as approved by the Program Director.

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Program completion requirements

Students must have successfully completed the core and approved courses (as applicable) to successfully complete the program.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 2 years to complete this program.

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IT requirements

Students should visit the USQ to check that their computers are capable of running the appropriate software and versions of Internet web browsers and to check the minimum and recommended standards for software.

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Residential schools

The attendance requirement of residential schools within this degree is indicated by the following letters: R = Recommended; HR = Highly Recommended; M = Mandatory. To find out more about , visit the to view specific dates for your degree, or visit the .

There are mandatory residential schools held at Ipswich, Springfield or Toowoomba campuses, and mandatory synchronous online tutorials for:

• COU8102 Professional Counselling Practice, Identity and Ethics

• COU8103 Counselling Issues and Contexts

• COU8101 Counselling Skills and Applications

• COU8104 Counselling Frameworks

• COU8006 Group Counselling Process and Practice

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Articulation

A student successfully completing all courses in the Graduate Certificate of Counselling will receive full credit towards the Graduate Diploma of Counselling in the same major area. Students who exited with a general specialisation can enter the Graduate Diploma (Foundations of Practice). Students intending to continue with the Graduate Diploma must apply for separate admission and may EITHER Graduate with a Graduate Certificate and receive full credit as exemptions into the Graduate Diploma, OR choose not to graduate with the Graduate Certificate, in order to transfer their grades, maintain their GPA and articulate into the Graduate Diploma and ultimately qualify for this higher award only. Students who wish to transfer their grades and maintain their GPA into the Graduate Diploma, must advise the Faculty in writing (usq.support@usq.edu.au) of their intention to articulate and this must occur prior to completion of the Graduate Certificate of Counselling. Entry into the Master of Counselling requires completion of at least 50% of the Graduate Diploma of Counselling with a GPA of at least 5.0, and an application that is supported by two referees as well as a structured interview.

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Related programs

The Graduate Certificate of Counselling is nested in the GDCN Graduate Diploma of Counselling and MCCO Master of Counselling.

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

• Foundations of Practice specialisation recommended enrolment pattern
• Alcohol and Drug Studies specialisation recommended enrolment pattern
• Child, Youth and Family Therapy specialisation recommended enrolment pattern
• Mental Health Counselling specialisation recommended enrolment pattern

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Foundations of Practice specialisation recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

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Alcohol and Drug Studies specialisation recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

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Child, Youth and Family Therapy specialisation recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

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Mental Health Counselling specialisation recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.