Diploma Course · Psychology & Counselling

Understand People, Help People.

Thinking about psychology or counselling, but not ready to bet years on a degree? This diploma was made for exactly that. You learn listening, counselling skills and how people work, fully online at your own pace, with psychology tutors behind you.

From $15per week, no credit check
~300 hoursof self-paced study
12 monthscourse access
No examsever, at your own pace
6certificates in one diploma
At a Glance

Course Snapshot

Study AreaPsychology & Counselling
LevelBeginner friendly
Study Hours~300 hours
Access12 months
Study Mode100% online, start anytime
AssessmentNo exams
PaymentsFrom $15 a week
Comes with
  • 10-day money-back trial
  • No deposit and no credit check
  • Six certificates in one diploma
  • Free IAC student membership on completion
Who It’s For

Why Do This Course

Get Better At Helping People

If you already support people, at work or in the community, this diploma sharpens how you do it. You cover listening, reflection and questioning. You learn crisis conversations, with the boundaries and referral habits that keep everyone safe.

Test The Waters Before The Degree

The registered path takes years of accredited study. This diploma lets you learn the foundations first and see if the field is yours. It can also help you decide about university later.

Understand Yourself Better Too

Personality, emotions and behaviour, self-awareness and calmer communication. Plenty of students do this for personal growth. It fits around work and family, with no fixed class times.

Where The Skills Fit

Where These Skills Could Take You

Helping-people work is everywhere: community services, support services, youth work and family programmes. The work is easy to picture. You sit with someone in a hard week, listen well, ask the right question, and know when to refer on.

Relationship Support Worker

Helping people through rough patches in their closest relationships. Listening and reflection do the heavy lifting.

Addictions Support Worker

Junior support roles alongside addiction services. Boundaries, patience and referral awareness matter every day.

Rehabilitation Counsellor Assistant

Assisting rehab services as people rebuild, using structured conversations and problem-solving skills.

Assessment And Intake Officer

Often the first person someone talks to. You take their story down well and connect them with the right help.

Roles where these skills are useful, not promised outcomes. Every role is different. The college recommends extra training or internships for hands-on experience. Registered counselling or psychology is its own path: accredited study, plus supervised practice.

The Course

What You'll Learn

Forty-five topics across six certificates, from psychology fundamentals to professional practice.

01
Psychology Fundamentals - An Introduction
How the mind works: brain, environment, perception and development.
The Nature and Scope of Psychology
The Neurological Basis of Behaviour
Environmental Effects on Behaviour
Consciousness and Perception
Personality
Needs, Drives and Motivation
Psychological Development
02
Certificate in Psychology & Counselling
Behaviour under pressure, and how people work alone and in groups.
Stress
Abnormal Behaviour
Individual Behaviour
Group Behaviour
Methods of Dealing with Psychological Problems
Conflict Resolution
Interpersonal Communication Skills
03
Certificate in Counselling Skills
The core counselling toolkit, step by step.
Learning Specific Skills
Listening and Bonding
Reflection
Questioning
Interview Techniques
Changing Beliefs and Normalising
Finding Solutions
Ending the Counselling
04
Certificate in Advanced Counselling Skills
Real sessions and the hard conversations, with safety and referral in view.
The Counselling Session
Focusing on the Present
Telephone Counselling
Dealing with Crisis
Problem-Solving Techniques I - Aggression
Problem-Solving Techniques II - Depression
Problem Solving Techniques III - Grief and Loss
Problem-Solving Techniques IV - Suicide
05
Certificate in Counselling Techniques
The approaches behind modern counselling, from Freud to CBT.
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy I: Freud, Erikson & Jung
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy II: Adler
Humanistic / Existential Approaches I: Gestalt Therapy
Humanistic / Existential Approaches II
Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy
Behavioural Therapy
Solution-Focussed Counselling
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
06
Certificate in Professional Practice in Psychology
The professional side: ethics, self-awareness, supervision and referral.
Understanding Counselling
Ethics & Confidentiality
Understanding the Self
Personality
Emotions and Behaviour
Supervision
Referral Practice
Included

What You’ll Get

In the Course

  • Six certificates, forty-five topics, fundamentals through to professional practice
  • The counselling toolkit, listening, reflection, questioning, structured sessions
  • The approaches behind the work, CBT, solution-focussed, behavioural and more
  • Ethics, supervision and referral, the boundaries that keep everyone safe

As a Student

  • Unlimited tutor support, by phone and email during business hours
  • Career Centre from enrolment, CV review, job board, interview prep
  • Free IAC membership on completion, a year inside the counselling world
  • Virtual Student ID card, over 150,000 discounts, free with enrolment
Why This One

What Makes It Different

Here is what stands out in this diploma.

01
Six Certificates, One Diploma

Psychology fundamentals through to professional practice, built as one structured diploma. Clear progress steps the whole way.

02
Named Psychology Tutors

Amore C, Dana L and Rita T all have psychology behind them, from degrees to hands-on behavioural therapy work. Support is unlimited, by phone and email in business hours.

03
Career Support From Day One

The Career Centre opens the day you enrol. You get a job board, CV templates, a free CV review and interview prep.

The Credentials

What You'll Earn

DIPLOMA COURSE

Diploma in Psychology & Counselling

Certificate of Achievement · The Career Academy

A Certificate of Achievement

Finish and you receive the college's Certificate of Achievement for the diploma. It is industry accredited.

A Free Year With The IAC

A 12-month student membership to the International Association for Counselling when you finish. It brings the IAC Journal, webinars and networking.

A SEEK Pass For Your Profile

Completion comes with a SEEK Pass link from the learning platform, ready to add to your SEEK profile.

Getting Started

How It Works

Step one

Ask About the Course

Send an enquiry and a course advisor gets back to you with the course guide, current pricing and straight answers on whether it fits.

Step two

Enrol When You're Ready

Start anytime, 100% online. Pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly with no deposit and no credit check, or pay upfront in one payment.

Step three

Study At Your Own Pace

Work through the certificates step by step with your tutors behind you, by phone and email in business hours. No exams, ever.

Step four

Finish With Your Credential

Complete the diploma and receive your Certificate of Achievement, a SEEK Pass link, and a free 12-month IAC student membership.

The Investment

How to Get Started

$15 / week
Flexible payment plan, weekly, fortnightly or monthly, or pay upfront in one payment.
Pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly
No deposit and no credit check
10-day money-back trial
Start anytime, 100% online
Enquire Now
Good to Know

Common Questions

Will this make me a counsellor?

It is the affordable way to find out, before you commit years to a degree. You learn the foundations: listening, reflection, counselling skills, ethics and referral. Registered work is different. That path needs accredited study, plus supervised practice, and this diploma does not lead to registration. What you keep is the skills, the diploma, and a clear sense of whether the field is yours.

Do I need any experience?

None needed. You do not need previous study, to be working in the field, or to feel confident with sensitive topics from day one.

What if the topics get heavy?

Some are heavy: aggression, depression, grief and loss, and suicide-focused content. The course frames them with safe understanding, boundaries and referral awareness. You are never required to share personal experiences.

How long does the course take?

Around 300 hours at your own pace, with 12 months of access. There are no fixed class times, so it fits around work and family.

What does it cost each week?

The payment plan is $15 a week, with no deposit and no credit check. You can pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly, or upfront. Enquire for the full options.

Are there exams?

No exams, ever. The diploma runs as step-by-step certificates with clear progress steps, and your tutors support you through each one.

Is this course accredited?

Yes. It is industry accredited through ICOES and the CPD Standards Office, and registered with IARC. It is not NZQA accredited, so it is not a national qualification. That is a different thing. For skills, exploring the field and support-level work, it is no barrier. Registered counselling needs its own accredited path either way.

Can I get my money back if it is not for me?

Yes. There is a 10-day money-back trial from your welcome email. If it is not right, you get your money back.

Delivered By

About the College

This course is delivered by The Career Academy, an online course provider with more than fifteen years in education and over twenty-five thousand students each year.

Its courses are industry accredited through ICOES and the CPD Standards Office. The college is registered with IARC, and partners with Xero, MYOB, IAB and AAT. It donates a portion of all course proceeds to Youthline.

ICOES accredited centreCPD Standards Office accreditedIARC registeredDonates to Youthline
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Somewhere soon, someone will need a person who knows how to listen. If you want to be that person, start the conversation.

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