Graduate Diploma of Counselling
11384NAT
How do I step into counselling work with greater depth, credibility, and a clear next step?
You may already have a career behind you, a degree completed, and a growing sense that the next season of your professional life needs to be more meaningful, more integrated, and more aligned with the way you want to serve. The question is how to move toward it with substance, recognised training, and a pathway that can carry you further.
Duration: 24 Month course- study while you work
Delivery mode: Live online study, seminar days and fully supported
Funding options available for eligible students
Placement: Supported through the Centre for Human Flourishing
Called to Counsel
We are living in a time marked by isolation, anxiety, emotional distress, fractured relationships, and growing pressure on individuals, families, and communities. The need for well-formed, professionally equipped counsellors has become increasingly clear.
For those considering the Graduate Diploma of Counselling, this often connects with a deeper professional question: how to bring existing life experience, prior study, and vocational maturity into counselling work that carries real depth and impact. This course offers a structured way to make that move — through advanced counselling training, supervised placement, and a pathway that can lead into the next stage of professional practice.
At Tov, this pathway is shaped by a vision of biblical human flourishing. We are forming counsellors who can respond to suffering with professionalism, compassion, and sound counselling practice, while also supporting movement toward greater wholeness, stability, and hope. This is part of our commitment to helping transform lives to flourish.
Counselling for Biblical Human Flourishing
Many counselling courses look similar on the surface. They often centre on a person’s presenting issues, past experiences, and the immediate symptoms or pressures that have brought them to counselling. These areas are important, and any credible counselling course needs to equip students to work with them well.
Tov counselling courses are shaped by a broader and more integrated vision. Our approach is grounded in a holistic, biblical understanding of human flourishing. Students are taught to see people as whole persons, where emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity, purpose, faith, and everyday life all matter in the counselling process.
This shapes the kind of counsellors we are seeking to form. Students develop counselling skills, professional capabilities, and practical readiness for real-world practice while engaging a richer vision of healing, growth, and restoration. The result is a counselling education that prepares students to work with competence and compassion, and to support change that reaches beyond symptom management alone.
That is part of what makes Tov distinctive. We are preparing counsellors to serve in ways that help transform lives to flouris
“I already have a career. I need to know this next step is worth building toward.”
This course is designed for professionals who want a meaningful next step with real substance. It gives you a clear pathway into counselling that builds on the experience and maturity you already bring.
“I want advanced counselling training, not another course that stays at the surface.”
The Graduate Diploma is designed to deepen your professional standing through advanced counselling skills, evidence-informed modalities, and a stronger framework for practice.
“If I step into this, I need it to lead somewhere professionally.”
This course is the first phase of a two-stage Master of Counselling pathway, giving you a clearer road into further study and long-term professional development.
“I do not want to be left trying to piece together placement, practice, and the next qualification on my own.”
Placement is built into the course and supported through the Centre for Human Flourishing, so the pathway from study to practice is more integrated and professionally supported. There is no need to worry about sourcing your own placement opportunities; we have that covered for you.
Graduate Diploma of Counselling
1. Build on what you already bring
Entry to the Graduate Diploma requires an undergraduate degree or higher, so the starting point is different from a foundation-level course. This is for students who are ready to work at a higher level, drawing on prior study and experience while developing advanced counselling capability in a structured way.
2. Study within a structured, supported rhythm
The course is delivered over 24 months, so you can work, counsel and be present with your family while you study. The course includes 10 units in total — six core units and four electives. Teaching is delivered online, with live interactive sessions, recordings, seminars, and regular assessment deadlines that support steady progression rather than self-paced drift. Students should allow around 20–25 hours each week for study.
3. Complete 50% of a Master of Counselling
The Graduate Diploma forms the first phase of a two-stage Master of Counselling pathway. Students who complete this course may receive up to 50% credit towards a Master of Counselling with our higher education partners.
Who This Is Built For
This pathway is built for graduates who are ready to bring their prior study, life experience, and professional maturity into counselling work with greater depth. It suits those who are not looking for an entry-level change in direction, but for a more substantial next step: one that strengthens their counselling capability, sharpens their professional identity, and opens a credible pathway into further practice and study.
It is especially suited to people entering a new professional season. You may already be established in ministry, education, community services, healthcare, leadership, or another people-focused field. You may also be looking for a more integrated practice that brings together counselling, the Christian faith, and a wider vision of human flourishing. This course is designed to meet that level of seriousness.
We provide the practice.
You provide the heart.
Step from classroom to vocation through the tov | Centre for Human Flourishing, our community-based professional practice hub.
- 100 Total Hours: Professional supervised experience integrated into your study.
- 40 Direct Hours: Real-world counselling providing care to the community.
- Fully Managed: tov Academy coordinates your entire placement. No external sourcing is required.
Real-world ready
Ready to Begin?
Book an advisory session to explore whether tov Academy is the right formation pathway for where you are—and where you’re becoming.
Waiting is costing you
Sometimes the cost of waiting is broader than it first appears. It is not only about staying in a job that no longer feels aligned. It is also about the lives that may never be supported, strengthened, or changed through the counselling work you could be equipped to do — including your own life, your family, and the wider community around you.
Delaying a step into counselling can mean more than just postponing a career decision. It can mean postponing growth, contribution, and the opportunity to bring wise and practical support to others. At tov, we speak about being formed to flourish. In this context, flourishing is not private. It shapes how you live, how you serve, and the good you are able to carry into others’ lives.
The Invitation
When you are ready to take the next step, this pathway offers more than a qualification. It is a structured opportunity to grow in spiritual formation, develop core counselling skills, and build practical confidence through professional placement and practice. For those considering a future in counselling or Christian counselling, it is a way to move forward with greater clarity, stronger preparation, and a clearer sense of where this work may lead.
At tov, we believe people are formed to flourish, and that flourishing is never limited to the individual. As you grow in wisdom, skill, and readiness for practice, that growth has the potential to shape your own life, strengthen your family, and bring support and hope to the people and communities you serve. This is part of what it means to prepare for work that helps transform lives to flourish.
Book a Course Advisory Session with our team to talk through your options, ask your questions, and explore whether this counselling pathway fits the season you are in.
Ancient Wisdom,
New Way to Learn
At tov academy, learning looks different. You donʼt just earn credentials—you grow through reflective practice, applied projects, and real-world experience.
AI-simulated learning provides safe, realistic scenarios to practice decision-making, problem-solving, and counselling before stepping into the real world.
Hybrid study and in-person seminars, and fully supported by the training team throughout your time at tov.
Course Details
Applicants for a Graduate Diploma must:
- Hold an undergraduate degree or higher
and be over 18 years of age
- be competent in written and spoken English
- Provide proof of identity, such as a certified copy of a driver’s licence or passport.
- All applicants must complete the aifc Pre-Enrolment Questionnaire, which includes a Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND) self-assessment.
This process helps identify any areas where additional support may be required to ensure students are ready for online study.
All students must have a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) before enrolling in any nationally accredited qualification with aifc, as required by the Australian Government.
Student support and wellbeing
aifc is committed to supporting each student’s academic, personal and spiritual wellbeing throughout their study journey. Students are encouraged to inform aifc at the time of enrolment of any additional support needs, including:
- Learning or disability support (e.g. additional time for assessments, assistive technology)
- Cultural or language support
- Pastoral and wellbeing support, available through the aifc Student Services and Abound counselling network
Early disclosure enables aifc to provide appropriate, reasonable adjustments and connect students with the right support services from the beginning of their course.
Technology and equipment requirements
Because this course is delivered online and includes recorded workplace-simulated counselling role-plays, students must have access to:
- a computer or laptop with word-processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word or Google Docs)
- a high-speed internet connection
- a webcam and microphone suitable for online classes and recording assessments
- a quiet and private environment for video participation and counselling simulations
Additional requirements for students applying for a VET Student Loan (VSL):
Applicants must also provide evidence of
- completion of Year 12, or
- evidence of a Certificate IV (or higher) qualification, or
- complete a formal LLN assessment demonstrating working at Level 4 / Exit Level 3 in Reading and Numeracy, as required under the VET Student Loans legislation.
Core Units
| Provide Counselling for Human Flourishing | Promote personal growth and holistic wellbeing through a flourishing-based counselling framework that integrates emotional, relational, spiritual, and psychological health, helping clients move beyond symptom reduction toward meaning, resilience, and purposeful living. |
| Establish and apply counselling skills | Apply specific and specialised communication skills in the client-counsellor relationship. Assess the client’s wellbeing, safety concerns and goals, and use counselling skills with a structured approach to counselling to work with clients on personal and psychological issues. |
| Manage own self-care in professional practice | Analyse one’s own professional wellbeing and care for self as part of an ongoing review for sustaining health and professional counselling practice. Evaluate the role socio- cultural issues and one’s past history have with regard to practitioner self-efficacy, with a view to implementing good self-care practices. Set personal goals to achieve a self- care regimen. |
| Provide trauma informed approaches to counselling | Provide effective therapy to those who have experienced reactions to trauma. Recognise circumstances and events that may lead to trauma reactions and provide effective therapy responses to these. |
| Provide Counselling for mental and emotional welllbeing | Provide effective counselling to those who experience common mental health issues. Recognise circumstances and events that may lead to common mental health issues and provide effective therapeutic responses to these. |
| Evaluate and apply a theoretical approach of counselling | Application of a new theoretical approach of counselling to suit a client’s presentation. Identify gaps in the counselling theoretical approaches one uses in practice and then research, critique, and apply a theoretical approach that could be suitable for a client’s presentation and evaluate outcomes. |
Electives
Students in the Graduate Diploma of Counselling complete four elective units, allowing you to specialise in an area that reflects your calling and career direction. Each elective sits within one of our Flourishing Streams — core pathways that represent different aspects of human flourishing and professional practice.
Flourishing Streams (Students will choose a stream)
Flourishing Relationships – Deepen your understanding of how people connect,
heal, and grow through relationships. Develop advanced skills in attachment, family
systems, and working with individuals and couples in relational contexts. Units:
Apply Attachment Theory with Clients, Counsel Clients Affected by Domestic and
Family Violence, and Provide Counselling to a Young Person.
Flourishing Workplace – Equip yourself to provide professional counselling and
wellbeing support in organisational settings. Learn to integrate business and
counselling skills that strengthen workplaces and communities. Units: Identify and
Develop Counselling Business Opportunities, Provide Brief Counselling within
Organisational Contexts, and Provide Critical Incident Response
Flourishing Health – Explore the relationship between emotional, physical, and
spiritual health. Specialise in areas such as grief and loss, addiction, and
neurodiversity support, applying holistic counselling strategies to promote wellbeing.
Units: Provide Grief and Loss Counselling, Provide Counselling for Addiction, and
Comorbidity, and Provide Counselling for Neurodiversity Support
Flourishing Faith – Integrate theology and counselling by exploring Christian
formation, spirituality, and biblical approaches to conflict and growth. Prepare for
ministry, pastoral care, or faith-based counselling settings. Units: Apply Christian
Counselling to Common Spiritual Issues, Apply Attachment Theory with Clients, and.
Facilitate Biblical Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Gain real-world experience
Students gain hands-on experience through supervised placements, with up to half of the required placement hours completed directly through the Tov Centre for Human Flourishing Community Care Program. aifc also supports students to complete the remaining hours through the Tov Ecosystem’s trusted networks and partner organisations, giving you access to diverse and meaningful counselling settings.
The 11384NAT Graduate Diploma of Counselling consists of 10 units in total —6 core units and 4 elective units and is delivered over 24 months.
Students should allow 20-25 hours per week to complete the course.
All teaching is delivered online, with each unit including two 2-hour live classes at the beginning of each term to support learning and engagement.
Assessment and Practical Requirements
All assessment tasks are completed through aifc’s online learning platform and include a combination of written responses, case studies, and counselling sessions conducted with real external clients.
While some assessment activities include workplace-simulated role plays, the Graduate Diploma also requires students to demonstrate competence through actual client work.
As part of the Finalised National Standards for Counsellors, the Graduate Diploma now requires students to undertake a formal placement.
Placement for the renewed courses will be supported through the Tov Centre for Human Flourishing, meaning students will not need to source their own placements unless they wish to do so. This ensures consistent, high-quality placement experiences across both study pathways.
It’s important to note that placement is different from role plays and simulated client work. Under the new National Standards for Counsellors, placement is defined as Professional Supervised Counselling — similar to a teacher in training who gains real experience in a school setting. Students will complete 200 hours, 80 of which will be counselling with real clients seeking general counselling support, ensuring hands-on professional practice.
At tov, we believe that learning happens best when students are supported personally, academically, and spiritually. Throughout your study, you’ll have access to a wide range of services designed to help you succeed and flourish.
Academic and Study Support
Each student is allocated a qualified trainer and assessor who journeys with them academically and pastorally through each unit of study.
- One-on-one assistance from trainers and assessors is available throughout the course.
- Access to study skills resources, academic writing guidance, and structured feedback.
- Individualised support plans are available for students who need additional academic, learning, or wellbeing support.
- Extensions and reasonable adjustments may be provided where appropriate to ensure equitable participation.
Wellbeing and Pastoral Care
Tov provides a caring, faith-based environment that recognises the whole person.
- Students have access to free counselling sessions through trainee counsellors under supervision, or may choose to access support from Abound counsellors for confidential emotional and wellbeing support.
- Pastoral care is available through the Student Services team and Course Managers.
- Optional group sessions and community-building activities help foster connection and belonging throughout your study.
- Where needed, tov can assist students in connecting with external support services for specialised care.
Disability, Cultural and Learning Support
If you have a disability, learning difference, or personal circumstances that may affect your studies, we encourage you to let us know early. This enables tov to provide appropriate, reasonable adjustments, develop individualised support plans, and connect you with the right resources to support your success.
The fees for the 11384NAT Graduate Diploma of Counselling are found in the Course Guide.
For a full breakdown of payment options, invoicing, and the cooling-off period, please refer to the Course Fees page.
For information regarding refunds, withdrawals, or deferrals, please refer to the Withdraw, Defer or Change Enrolment Process & Procedure.
Austudy / ABSTUDY
Some students may be eligible to apply for Australian Government student payments while studying an approved course with an approved education provider.
Austudy provides financial assistance for eligible students aged 25 years or older who are studying or undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship. Students generally need to be studying full time and meet Services Australia’s eligibility requirements.
ABSTUDY provides support for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students undertaking approved study or training. To receive ABSTUDY, students must be studying an approved course with an approved institution.
Students may be asked by Services Australia to provide evidence of enrolment, such as a confirmation of enrolment letter.
RTO Provider Code: 88037
The following Tov Academy courses are approved for Centrelink/student payment purposes, subject to Services Australia’s assessment of the student’s individual eligibility:
- CHC42315 Certificate IV in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care
- CHC51015 Diploma of Counselling
- 11207NAT Advanced Diploma of Integrative Practice
- 10900NAT Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Christian)
- 11384NAT Graduate Diploma of Counselling
Applying for Austudy or ABSTUDY is the responsibility of the student. Tov cannot determine student payment eligibility or guarantee approval of a claim.
For more information, students should contact Services Australia:
- Austudy / Youth and Students line: 132 490
- ABSTUDY line: 1800 132 317
There are no specific licensing requirements attached to this qualification.
However, Students who enter the Graduate Diploma with a Bachelor’s (or higher) AND a previous counselling qualification accredited by ACA, are expected to maintain or obtain professional membership with either the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Christian Counsellors Association of Australia (CCAA). Note that this cannot be student-level. Professional membership ensures that graduates meet industry-recognised standards of ethical practice, supervision, and continuing professional development (CPD) required for practising counsellors in Australia.
Students who enter the Graduate Diploma without a previous counselling qualification are required to obtain Student Membership with either ACA or CCAA.
"In my role at the school, I noticed many parents in need of support, and many youth feeling lost and anxious. I was concerned that I wasn’t equipped to help. Finding Tov (formally aifc), with its biblically integrated courses, was reassuring. I wanted a Christian course that would allow me to guide others with the wisdom of Scripture as I listen to them."
‘God opened my eyes to see how much people are suffering in secret out there and I see that they don’t know how to seek help, who to go to or where to go to. And I listened to God’s calling for my life and after doing research, I was drawn to study at Tov (formally aifc), and since that day, I have never looked back. I know God has transformed me through my time at tov, I am more self aware. God has taught me to rely on him. Every counselling outcome is in His hands. It is really quite humbling and liberating.”
Ready to Begin?
You’ve been considering this for a while. Perhaps sensing a call to helping work, wondering if formal training is right for you, asking whether it’s too late or too soon. The next step is simple: a conversation. Book an advisory session to explore whether tov Academy is the right formation pathway for where you are—and where you’re becoming.
8,000+ practitioners formed through real-world practice
Formation that stays with you.
Across decades, roles, and places — people return to what they learned here.
- 16K+formed through AIFC and tov Academy programmes
- 49countries represented in our learning community
- 1M+counsellings sessions held by our alumni
"*" indicates required fields
