Counselling is a professional field dedicated to helping individuals navigate through life’s challenges and improve their overall wellbeing. Highly trained and compassionate counsellors provide a safe and supportive environment for clients to explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.
This pathway might be right for you if you are interested in helping others navigate challenges and find solutions, enjoy listening and understanding, and want to make a positive impact on individuals’ mental and emotional wellbeing.
What do careers in this pathway involve?
Counselling encompasses various specialties, such as mental health, marriage and family therapy, addiction counselling, and career counselling, ensuring individuals receive the specialised support they need to lead fulfilling lives.
The growing demand for counsellors means this pathway offers both job security and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
What are some important human skills for this pathway?
- Social awareness
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Innovation
- Self-management
What are some of the tasks involved?
- Provide counselling services
- Develop treatment plans
- Monitor individual progress
- Collaborate with other health workers
- Prepare reports and evaluations
- Provide relevant advice
- Run group sessions
- Teach life skills
- Maintain client records
What kind of work environment and conditions can I expect?
Most counsellors work indoors in an office setting, such as in private practices, community health centres, schools, hospitals, or government agencies. Some counsellors also work remotely, offering telehealth services via video or phone.
While some positions follow standard business hours, many counsellors offer evening or weekend appointments to accommodate clients who work or study during the day.
The Clusters in counselling
Find out more about the kind of work people in each Career Cluster might do in this pathway.
Guardians
Guardians are common in this pathway, providing emotional and psychological support to individuals or groups.
Linkers
Linkers in this pathway are also vital, connecting clients with appropriate services and resources.
Coordinators
Coordinators manage counselling services, from scheduling to program development.
Informers
Informers in this pathway educate clients on coping strategies and mental health resources.
Makers
Makers are rare in this pathway, but may help to run one-on-one or group counselling sessions.
Innovators
Innovators in this pathway develop new counselling techniques or technologies for improved outcomes.
Where can a counselling pathway take me?
Interested in a career in counselling? There are many roles you might like to consider – here are just a few.
Entry level roles
These jobs can be started with little or no training or experience, and are great as a stepping stone towards more senior roles in the pathway.
Community Support Worker
Provide practical assistance and emotional support to vulnerable individuals in community settings.
Family Support Worker
Help families develop skills to overcome challenges and create safe, nurturing environments for children.
Youth Worker
Work with young people to develop their skills, address personal issues, and connect them with appropriate services.
Mid-level roles
Once you have some further study or experience under your belt, you might like to consider moving into one of these roles.
Careers Advisor
Provide guidance on education, training, and employment options to help people make informed career decisions.
Financial Counsellor
Help people manage financial difficulties and develop strategies for overcoming money problems.
Alcohol and Drugs Counsellor
Help people overcome substance dependency issues through specialised counselling techniques.
Senior level roles
These jobs will require extensive further education or many years of experience, but are also highly rewarding.
Psychotherapist
Provide in-depth therapy addressing underlying issues and patterns that affect mental health and relationships.
Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner
Help separating families resolve disputes and develop parenting arrangements outside of court.
Psychologist
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions using scientific methods and evidence-based approaches.
Similar pathways
If these careers aren’t quite right for you, you might like to explore some other similar pathways instead.
Health Therapy
Provide therapeutic treatments and support to improve individuals’ mental and physical wellbeing.
Aged Care
Support and care for elderly individuals in a compassionate and nurturing environment.
Disability Support
Provide assistance and care for individuals with disabilities.
How can I build experience in this pathway?
If you’re still in high school and want to find out if a career in counselling is right for you, here are some activities you can do:
- Role-play counselling scenarios to practice active listening
- Study psychological theories to understand counselling approaches
- Become a mentor at school, for your sports club, or in the community
We recommend studying these subjects in high school:
- English
- Mathematics
- Health
- Any Sciences
- Society and Culture
Here are some suggestions of places you might like to try and find work experience:
- Community centres or non-profit organisations that offer counselling services
- Rehabilitation centres or substance abuse treatment facilities
- Schools or universities with counselling departments
- Employee assistance programs offered by large corporations
- Religious organisations or churches that provide counselling services
Where can I find out more?
You can explore other career pathways and find in-depth information on specific jobs on our website.
