Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy
Study Mode: On-Campus, Distance Learning
Campus Locations: Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth (domestic students only)
Attendance Mode: Full-time, Part-time
CRICOS Code: 097946C
AQF Level 5
The Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy is your pathway to an exciting career as an early counsellor or psychotherapist. In this higher education diploma, you will study the nature of the human mind from a variety of disciplinary perspectives both within psychotherapy and counselling traditions, and outside these traditions through engagements with relevant scientific, philosophical and spiritual disciplines.
The Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy will prepare you to be a skilled, and transformative counsellor or psychotherapist
Key Information
T1 22 Application Close Date: Saturday 22 January 2022
AWARD
Counselling and Psychotherapy
DURATION
INTAKES
February
May
September
CAMPUSES
Brisbane
Melbourne
Perth
Sydney
STUDY MODE
Distance Learning
COURSE FEES
Overview
Throughout the year you will be provided with the opportunity to extend and consolidate your own development as a foundation for helping to foster and guide the development of others in a therapeutic setting. You will be exposed to relevant theories, techniques, and practices of counselling and psychotherapy. You will be challenged to think and feel in a way that is adequate to the complexity of being human, and you will learn to be with others and yourself in a way that integrates individual and communal pasts, presents and futures.
As part of the course, you will also actively engage in one professional experience placement that will enrich and consolidate the learning you have undertaken in the classroom.
The Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy will prepare you to be a skilled, and transformative counsellor or psychotherapist.
This qualification is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework.
#FindYourWhy with Ikon
Face to face delivery is an essential part of quality learning. Ikon’s experienced teaching staff will support you during your studies and share a variety of real-life approaches and experiences to help you develop your professional skills, and feel confident and career-ready, upon completion of your course.
Smaller class sizes creating a dynamic and supportive learning environment for students
A journey that mixes theory with experiential processes to ensure students obtain a deeper understanding of what is being taught
Student support through the entire lifecycle of your learning, with our dedicated team of Student Counsellors and Academic staff
Study Sequence
The course consists of 9 subjects. You must successfully complete all subjects to graduate with the Diploma of Arts Therapy (54 credit points).
Each academic year consists of three study periods called trimesters. Each trimester consists of twelve weeks of teaching plus one exam week.
A full-time study load is nine subjects per year across three trimesters.
Click here to see a typical full-time study plan
Delivery & Workload
Course delivery for the Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy is a combination of lectures, tutorials, self-directed study and workplace learning.
You should allow for 3 hours per subject for lectures and tutorials. For each subject, you should then spend approximately 9 hours per week for self-directed study to complete prescribed readings, practice skills, research, study and complete assessments.
Subjects
- Introduction to Integrative Psychotherapy
- Models of Therapeutic Practice 1
- Integrative Systems of Health and Wellbeing 1
- Models of Therapeutic Practice 2
- Case Conceptualisation 1
- Integrative Psychotherapy in Practice 1
- Integrative Psychotherapy in Practice 2
- Ethics and Politics in Psychotherapy
- Foundations of Scholarly Practice
Introduction to Integrative Psychotherapy
In this subject, students will explore the intellectual foundations of integrative approaches to Psychotherapy. This subject will develop an intellectual foundation for integrative world views exploring the ontological assumptions of various approaches to psychotherapy. This subject will demonstrate the historical development of integrative psychotherapy and its role in the current psychotherapeutic landscape. This subject will explore the problems and modes of integrative thinking in psychotherapy and develop a foundational view of integrative psychotherapy that will be used throughout the degree.
Subject Code: PSYC102
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
PSYC103 Models of Therapeutic Practice 1
Students will develop a working understanding of a number of the principal paradigms that promote growth, healing and psychotherapeutic change. Students will learn to recognise major theoretical perspectives, concepts and explanatory frameworks employed within psychotherapy. There will be a central focus on how to compare therapies with respect to their conceptual and theoretical structure, evidential basis, conditions of application (problem- and client-types) and philosophical assumptions. The models studied are all contextualised within an integrative case formulation framework, and are considered as different metaphors for the organisation of mind.
Subject Code: PSYC103
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
Integrative Systems of Health and Wellbeing 1
This subject has as its focus the knowledge and skills required to practice as a psychotherapist within the designated professional ethical, legal and professional standards as set down by the peak accrediting bodies within the field of psychotherapy/arts psychotherapy. The subject requires the student to examine their own personal values and belief systems as a foundation for the development of professional ethical practice.
The ethical, political and legal context of psychotherapeutic practice will be explored through case studies, professional situations and duty of care issues in contemporary therapy practice. There is an emphasis on the personal and professional competencies and attributes required to practice ethically and legally as a therapist including self-reflection of the practitioner’s own values. Skill development includes understanding of how to work with confidentiality, informed consent, themes of power, and practice boundaries.
Subject Code: PSYC801
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
Models of Therapeutic Practice 2
In this subject, students will develop a working understanding of a number of other principal paradigms that promote growth, healing and psychotherapeutic change, that augment their understanding gained in the Models of Therapeutic Practice 1 subject. Students will learn to recognise major theoretical perspectives, concepts and explanatory frameworks employed within psychotherapy. There will be a central focus on how to compare therapies with respect to their conceptual and theoretical structure, evidential basis, conditions of application (problem- and client-types) and philosophical assumptions. The models studied are all contextualised within an integrative case formulation framework.
Subject Code: PSYC105
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
Case Conceptualisation 1
This subject explores case management and conceptualisation. Students will examine the foundations of the case conceptualisation process to enable them to progressively map and work with the varied elements of a client’s experience. Conceptualisation frameworks will be introduced that enable students to integrate a range of appropriate theories and techniques. An integrative approach will be developed in order to reflect contemporary developments in research, theory and practice in an interdisciplinary framework.
Subject Code: PSYC104
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: PSYC103, PSYC802
Integrative Psychotherapy in Practice 1
In this subject, students will be introduced to the fundamental theory and practice that underlies the effective psychotherapeutic practice. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the role of psychotherapy in society. They will reflect on their own acculturation and the ways in which this might influence their practice. Students will be introduced to the notion of relationality, and explore why it is foundational to the therapeutic change process.
At a practical level, students will witness demonstrations of certain key therapeutic skills essential to effective psychotherapy, and also engage in exercises designed to develop these basic skills. In addition to a strong emphasis on skills-based learning, this subject will focus on the areas such as therapeutic relationship building, communication, empathy and transference / counter-transference issues.
Subject Code: PSYC802
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
Integrative Psychotherapy in Practice 2
In this subject student’s will deepen their understanding of relationality as a foundational aspect of the therapeutic change process and to skills required to facilitate effective psychotherapy and support the therapeutic change process. This subject has a strong emphasis on the practice of inter-personal psychotherapy, it draws together the content of all previous subjects in practice and application.
Introduction to Integrative Psychotherapy
Integrative Systems of Health and Wellbeing
Models of Therapeutic Practice 1
Case Conceptualisation 1
Models of Therapeutic Practice 2
Ethics and Politics in Psychotherapy
Foundations of Professional Competency
Introduction to Mental Health
Understanding Systems in Psychotherapy
Students will utilise experiential methods, including, triads and role-play to develop the basic concepts, techniques and practical skills required in psychotherapy, including conceptualisation in practice.
Subject Code: PSYC106
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: PSYC802
Ethics and Politics in Psychotherapy
This subject has as its focus the knowledge and skills required to practice as a psychotherapist within the designated professional ethical, legal and professional standards as set down by the peak accrediting bodies within the field of psychotherapy/arts psychotherapy. The subject requires the student to examine their own personal values and belief systems as a foundation for the development of professional ethical practice.
The ethical, political and legal context of psychotherapeutic practice will be explored through case studies, professional situations and duty of care issues in contemporary therapy practice. There is emphasis on the personal and professional competencies and attributes required to practice ethically and legally as a therapist including self-reflection of the practitioner’s own values. Skill development includes understanding of how to work with confidentiality, informed consent, themes of power, and practice boundaries.
Subject Code: SOSC801
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: PSYC802
Foundations of Scholarly Practice
This subject explores with students the foundations of scholarly practice in higher education and its role in supporting a humanistic liberal arts education. Students will develop an understanding of how scholarly practice contributes to the development and organization of self and mind. The subject introduces, places into context, and develops skills in listening and speaking; reading and writing; reasoning, argumentation, and communication; the schematics of thought; reflective and reflexive thinking; metacognition and the development of self; communication and community; and the scientific method; and explantation of international and Australian trends to enable successful engagement in scholarly practice as a higher education student.
Subject Code: SOSC804
Credit Points: 6
Prerequisite Subjects: None
Career Opportunities
Admission Criteria
Ikon has a range of admission pathways available to students of all circumstances and academic backgrounds:
- Australian Year 12 Secondary School Certificate with a minimum ATAR 60
- Completion of a VET qualification at Diploma level or higher
- Completion (or partial completion) of a higher education qualification
Applicants may also gain entry in recognition of their work and life experience. You must be at least 21 years of age at course commencement and provide a written admission statement of 300-500 words explaining how the knowledge, skills and personal qualities you’ve gained through your experiences will help you succeed in your studies at Ikon. For more information about writing your admissions statement click here.
All applicants participate in an admissions interview.
International applicants, and any applicants who did not complete their previous study in English, must evidence a minimum IELTS Overall Score of 6.0 with no band less than 6.0. Further details can be found here.
You should choose the admission pathway most relevant to your academic background. To discuss the best pathway for your circumstances, please contact Admissions at 1300 000 933 or via email at admissions@ikon.edu.au.
For more information see:
Application Process
Domestic Student Admission Policy
Student Profile Table
International Student Admission Policy
Recognition of Prior Learning
Recognition of Prior Learning is an assessment process used to determine the extent to which a student has achieved the learning outcomes of a subject from earlier learning, experience or achievements. Where equivalence of prior learning can be established, the student is exempt from attending that particular subject in order to complete their course.
You may apply for course credit towards the Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy in recognition of prior learning which may result in course credit and exemption from that subject. For more information on the application process, see the Recognition of Prior Learning & Credit Policy or contact Admissions at 1300 000 933 or admissions@ikon.edu.au.
Pathways
Credit Transfer
Graduates of the higher education Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy through Ikon Institute of Australia may gain entry into the second year of the Bachelor of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Eligible applicants will receive course credit via the grade of Advanced Standing.