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ANZSCO 2721Skill level 1Health and care

Counsellor

Help individuals, couples and families work through emotional, relational and behavioural challenges.

Registration: Australian Counselling Association or PACFA membership

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$1600Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

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What a counsellor actually does

Counsellors run booked 50 to 60-minute sessions, in person or via telehealth, with five to six clients a day being a sustainable pace. Sessions follow a structured approach (CBT, solution-focused, narrative, or relationship-focused) and the counsellor takes a contracting, goal-setting and review approach across an episode of care. Between sessions there's case-note writing, supervision prep and referral letters. Counsellors don't have AHPRA registration so the work is typically funded through employee assistance programmes, private health insurance (some funds), self-funded clients, NDIS or community-services contracts. Counsellors often pick up evening and Saturday slots to fit working clients. Most counsellors invest in monthly clinical supervision (about $150 a session) as a registration requirement and to manage emotional load. Without Medicare access unless you become a registered counsellor under an MBS-eligible programme, building a full caseload takes time.

Typical tasks

  • Conduct counselling sessions in person or via telehealth.
  • Use evidence-based approaches such as CBT or solution-focused therapy.
  • Refer to clinical services when scope of practice exceeded.

Skills you'll use

  • Active listening and reflective questioning
  • Person-centred and motivational interviewing techniques
  • CBT and solution-focused therapy frameworks
  • Risk screening and referral to clinical services
  • Contracting and ethical boundary-setting
  • Working with grief, trauma and relationship rupture
  • Note-taking that protects client confidentiality
  • Self-care and supervision habits

How to become one

  1. 1Finish Year 12 with English (you don't need a specific science background)
  2. 2Complete an ACA or PACFA-accredited Bachelor of Counselling, or a Bachelor of Psychological Science with a counselling postgrad
  3. 3Alternatively, complete a Diploma of Counselling (10860NAT or similar) followed by an advanced diploma or bachelor
  4. 4Apply for membership with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
  5. 5Start under supervision in a community-services agency, EAP provider, school or private practice
  6. 6Accrue supervised hours required for higher membership levels (ACA Level 2 or 4, PACFA Provisional to Full)
  7. 7Consider niche training in grief, trauma, family violence, sex therapy or relationship work

Where you can work

  • Community-services agencies (Relationships Australia, Lifeline, Anglicare)
  • School wellbeing teams and tertiary student services
  • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providers
  • Private counselling practices
  • Family-violence and sexual-assault services
  • Hospitals and palliative-care teams
  • Telehealth-only counselling platforms

Career progression

Typical stages and salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Provisional or new counsellor
    0-2 years
    Typical roles: Provisional counsellor, Community counsellor, Helpline counsellor
    Salary band: $60,000 - $72,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Registered counsellor
    3-7 years
    Typical roles: ACA Level 2 or PACFA member counsellor, Private-practice counsellor, EAP counsellor
    Salary band: $72,000 - $95,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. Senior counsellor or supervisor
    7+ years
    Typical roles: Senior counsellor, Clinical supervisor, Practice owner
    Salary band: $90,000 - $120,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)

Is this for you?

You might love this if

  • You're patient and empathetic without losing professional distance
  • You can sit with hard emotions for an hour at a time without flinching
  • You're committed to ongoing supervision and self-reflection
  • You're realistic about the income trajectory in early years
  • You can hold confidentiality across complex family or workplace situations

This might not suit you if

  • You want Medicare-rebatable mental-health work without further training
  • You can't tolerate the slow build of a private caseload
  • You don't cope with vicarious trauma exposure
  • You want a high-paced clinical environment with quick measurable outcomes

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for counsellor. Not every career has all three; we only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.