Career in Counselling in Australia
Counselling is a profession in demand in Australia with a very strong future growth. Counsellor supports clients by helping them to develop strategies to cope with emotional, mental or lifestyle issues. Counsellors may choose to specialise in relationship counselling, crisis and trauma counselling, drug and alcohol counselling, conflict resolution, stress management, grief and loss counselling or counselling of children and young people.
You need to have a diploma or a degree in counselling to work in this profession. Some of the required skills include people management, interpersonal skills, and emotional intelligence to work in this profession. There is a big scope with job opportunities in sectors like health and care, education and training, administrative services, support services
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Career in Counselling in New Zealand
As a counsellor one may work with various employers like corporate, schools, district health boards. Professional and well trained counsellors have good opportunity for job. Depending on your specialised area you need to have qualification. If you would like to work for district health boards a three year degree is mandatory. To be guidance counsellors in schools generally you require a extra qualification in counselling along with being a trained teacher. If as a counsellor you are contracted with ACC you must have relevant training along with meeting professional support requirements as well as meeting cultural sensitivity requirement.
Relevant qualification and being a member of a professional body is sought after by employers. The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) is a professional body of counsellors. Being its member signifies quality as to be a member you need to have a Bachelors degree along with 200 hours of supervised clinical practice to get provisional membership. To be eligible for full membership you need to have 300 hours of supervised clinical practice.
Career in Counselling in Canada
To work as a counsellor in Canada you need to have a qualification in counselling to use professional designations and register with the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists in Canada (ACCT) and the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association (CPCA).
CPCA is a nationally recognised independent association and having membership of this association signifies that you have the highest ethical standards of this profession which is highly sought after. The members of this association can use designation RPC-Registered Professional Counsellor. Depending upon your circumstances you may register as a student member, Registered Professional counsellor candidate, Registered Professional counsellor, Master Practitioner in Clinical counselling, qualified clinical supervisor.
ACCT is a self-regulated competency-based professional association. Registering with association entitles one to use designations like RTC- Registered Therapeutic counsellor, AC Accredited counsellor, MTC Master therapeutic counsellor, RCS Registered counselling supervisor depending on your circumstances.
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