Counselling

If you have always been passionate about helping people overcome life’s hurdles and are intrigued at getting to know people on a deeper level, a career in counselling could be for you.

A career in counselling is one where you can put your compassion, open-mindedness and communication skills to good use in order to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Counsellors work in a range of roles and settings from working with youth in schools, to working in adult suicide prevention, and as a graduate you will be able to choose the field you are most passionate about.

Our programmes are primarily designed for mature students with existing tertiary qualifications and professional experience in a field related to counselling, who wish to transition into counselling from their current profession; and for counselling practitioners who are wishing to extend their professional learning through undertaking advanced qualifications and are already working in professional counselling practice, counsellor education and/or research.

Our team of highly skilled counsellor educators is dedicated to providing counsellor education that will support our professionals to work collaboratively and creatively to meet the diverse needs of clients in the modern world.

The counselling profession is growing. According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the number of counsellors has increased over the last ten years, with growth of the behavioural science sector expected to continue to 2025.

Counsellors work for a variety of employers, including government agencies, such as the ACC and the Department of Corrections, human resources departments and in communities and schools. They also make a difference by working in private counselling practice, counsellor education and research.

New skills for professionals

Our counselling programmes, the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Theory and the Master of Counselling, are designed for busy working professionals.

Graduates are often already employed as teachers, nurses, social workers and other related professions, who want to add value to their current career or become a professional counsellor.

At the Faculty of Education and Social Work, you will be supported by an academic community that has close links with practitioners and supervisors in a range of practice contexts. You will develop counselling skills, work with diverse clients, and gain comprehensive knowledge of the theory and research that underpins counselling practice. You will also undertake supervised practical counselling work in community settings.  

• Community counsellor
• Counsellor in a government agency
• Private practice counsellor
• School counsellor
• Health and welfare services counsellor
• Human resource counsellor
• Not-for-profit agency counsellor

Upcoming counselling positions are often advertised on job listing websites such as SEEK and Kiwi Health Jobs:

• View recent job listings at SEEK
• Search public health career opportunities at Kiwi Health Jobs
• See available positions on TradeMe Jobs