ACOM / Study / Courses / Bachelor of Counselling

Bachelor of Counselling

The Bachelor of Counselling provides students with an accredited pathway towards a career as a professional counsellor. Taking a comprehensive and balanced approach to counselling training incorporating theology, psychology, and spirituality, students learn the highest standards of ethics, professionalism and accountability with qualifications that are recognised by the Australian Counselling Association and the Christian Counsellors Association of Australia.
Course Overview

Course

Bachelor of Counselling (BCouns)

Qualification

Bachelor

Course Duration

3 years (F/T) or 9 years (P/T)

AQF Level

AQF 7

Number of Units

24 units (216 credit points)

Accrediting Body

Sydney College of Divinity

Study Mode

Online

Course Details

The Bachelor of Counselling has a flexible course plan that is tailored for each student depending on their interests, and the area of counselling they intend on practicing in their career. Goals are discussed during the admission interview, which are translated into a personalised course plan.

These units will generally fit into a structure of:

  • A major of 6 units (54 credit points) in the sub-discipline of Counselling consisting of three units of counselling practicum and three units of counselling theory
  • An additional sub-major of 4 units (36 credit points) in the sub-discipline of Counselling
  • A sub-major of 4 units (36 credit points) in Pastoral Theology
  • A sub-major of 4 units (36 credit points) in either Biblical Studies or Theology or Christian Life and Ministry
  • 6 elective units (54 credit points) from any available units
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Entry Requirements:

  • Satisfactory completion of Year 12 with an ATAR of 65 or above, or its equivalent (e.g. OP≤16); or
  • Mature Age admission for those who have reached the age of 21; or
  • An AQF5 Diploma of Counselling (or equivalent); or
  • Special Entry admission available; and
  • Satisfactorily completes a pre-enrolment interview with a relevant course advisor.

English Proficiency:

Applicants whose entry qualifications were obtained in an institution where English is not the language of instruction normally require a minimum IELTS (or equivalent) score of 6.5 in all bands of the test.

A student can be admitted provisionally into the BCouns when they have an IELTS result of 6.0 with no score less than 6.0 in all bands of the test.

Knowledge

Graduates will have:

  • A deep and effective vision of themselves as counsellors.
  • Thorough theoretical knowledge in the discipline of counselling and its ethical practice.
  • An ability to evaluate theoretical perspectives of counselling and associated peer-reviewed literature to select case-appropriate counselling practices.

Skills

Graduates will have:

  • Specialised counselling skills to work with clients including those with high and complex needs.
  • The ability to assess presenting issues and their causes and select from a range of therapeutic practices the appropriate interventions for specific client contexts.
  • The ability to communicate effectively in a professional counselling context with both clients and peers.

Applications of Knowledge and Skills

Graduates will have the ability to:

  • Apply client spirituality into the counselling experience from an ethical perspective with a critical understanding of Christian worldviews.
  • Apply theological and professional reflection to organisational practice.
  • Apply innovative professional practice in counselling with diverse people in an unpredictable range of contexts.apply specialised skills for clients with relationship issues.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Counselling may exit with an Associate Degree of Counselling provided they have completed at least 144 credit points.

Credit will be granted for units that are from an equivalent award or institution and have outcomes, content, demand hours, and assessment equivalent to that of units in the Bachelor of Counselling. A candidate may seek credit for up to a maximum of 16 units (144 credit points).

Credit Transfer

All counselling courses will require students to undertake several practicum units that allow them to outwork their skills through reflection and practice. These units will require students to practice counselling, participate in individual or group professional supervision, reflect and interact with fellow students, and work towards a minimum number of supervised counselling hours required for industry development and ongoing accreditation. See unit descriptions for requirements.

Spiritual Formation is foundational to who we are. For ACOM, the learning process is not simply intellectual – it is about spiritual transformation. We care about the individual you are becoming and here’s why: we know that healthy, sustainable and effective graduates will be well grounded spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially.

ACOM courses give students the opportunity to study Spiritual Formation units either as core or electives. Refer to your course plan to discover how formation units can be incorporated into your study.

Learn more about Spiritual Formation at ACOM

Students can pay their fees upfront or access the Australian Government’s FEE-HELP system.

FEE-HELP is a Commonwealth loan scheme that assists eligible students to defer all or part of their higher education tuition fees. Students wishing to utilise FEE-HELP should apply during admission, or contact registrar@acom.edu.au. To read more about FEE-HELP and check your eligibility go to https://www.studyassist.gov.au/.

Bachelor Level Fees

Students who complete a Bachelor of Counselling can continue on to the Master of Counselling.

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Studying with ACOM

Students can choose to study part-time or full-time. ACOM operates on a trimester basis, with formation and other select units being taken over the course of the full year. A full-time load is considered six to nine units, which is usually two to three units per trimester, with one year-long unit. A part-time load is usually three to four units per year.

Each 9 credit point unit requires 143 demand hours of study. The demand hours represent the number of hours needed to meet all the requirements of the unit, including reading, researching and writing assignments and essays, and supervised fieldwork (see Student Handbook for hour breakdown).

For each unit we recommend that you allocate approximately 10-12 hours for study per week (with more required during peak assessment periods).

Students apply and are admitted to their course, which is made up of both core and elective units. All new students are required to complete Student Orientation, which involves both signing up for a Student Orientation Session, and taking part in a Student Orientation module through our online learning platform.

All students have access to personalised support through a dedicated Student Engagement Manager (or SEM). Our awesome team of SEMs bring a personal connection and listening ear to students who are spread the length and breadth of the country. SEMs work closely with each student to provide tailored academic and pastoral support, cheering them on every step of their learning journey.

A variety of units will be on offer each trimester for students to enrol in. All of our courses are flexible for students to choose their units and study load according to their time commitments, interests and course plans.

All students study online through our online learning platform, Moodle. This is where all study materials, unit information, assessments and learning activities can be found.

At the point of selecting to study a unit, you will have the opportunity to register in different types of scheduled facilitated events, or ‘facilitations.’ These facilitations are real-time student events run by staff or faculty, designed to assist you with your learning and the requirements of the unit.

ACOM assessments are essay based and do not usually involve exams. Units may include online quizzes and practical assessments that are completed in your ministry setting. Assessment dates are clearly published on our learning platform (Moodle) and all tasks must be submitted to pass the unit.

Required readings are provided for students with online library access for further research. ACOM is continuously improving its digital library of learning resources. We have thousands of specialist books, articles and journals available to our students through our copyright licensing arrangements. Useful for both research and personal study, our students have access to over 100,000 e-books and journals on the Bible, leadership, pastoral care, theology and more.

Some units may require the student to purchase textbooks. This information can be found in the unit description.

Digital Learning Systems

To study with ACOM, you will need access to a computer with internet connection. You will also require an email address that we can use to contact you. For assessment writing, we require the use of a word-processing programme such as Microsoft Word. For a full list of hardware and software requirements please see the Student Handbook.

Student Handbook

Start Your Application

We are really excited that you are choosing to study with ACOM. Now, before you start filling in your application, here are a few things you will need to know about the process. If you are a current ACOM student wishing to transfer from an award you are currently enrolled in to another award of equal level without graduating, please fill out the Application for Course Transfer.

All applications to ACOM are required to submit the following documents:

  • Online Application for Admission Form 
  • 100 Points of Identification: You must include at least one primary document and at least one document must contain a photograph. File size limit, 8mb. See Identification Guide.
  • Certificates/Transcripts of Previous Study: Please supply a colour copy of your transcripts. If you would like to apply for credit for previous study, the transcript must be certified.
  • Identification Photo: Please provide a headshot photo for identification (5mb or less). Note this does not need to be passport quality, however we ask that you be facing the camera without hats or sunglasses.

Some students will also need to submit the following additional documents:

  • Deferring Tuition using FEE-HELP: For students intending to defer tuition fees onto FEE-HELP, you will need to read the FEE-HELP information, terms and conditions, and submit either an Australian birth certificate, passport or citizenship certificate. FEE-HELP forms will be provided electronically to successful applicants after official acceptance to ACOM. Find out more.
  • Name Changes: Proof of change of name (marriage certificate/change of name certificate) must be submitted if any ID documents are in a former name.
  • Pension Card: For Upfront paying Pension students wishing to claim a pension discount.
  • Disability Support: Students with Disabilities and Conditions can request ongoing support to assist them through their studies through the application of a personalised enabling plan. Request an Enabling Plan here.

If you have your documents ready, you will have the opportunity to upload your documents throughout the online Application process. However, if you are still collecting documents you will be able to submit them separately by emailing them to admissions@acom.edu.au.

You can select the ‘Save’ button to save your progress and come back and finish your application later. When saving your progress your data will be captured. However, any uploaded documents may not be and will need to be emailed separately to ACOM.

Note that when reopening a saved application, you will need to copy and paste the link emailed by the site directly into your web browser.

Students have the opportunity to have their previous completed study recognised with ACOM. These studies must be comparable in content, outcomes and level of study to units within ACOM delivered awards, and successfully completed at other institutions.

Learn More About Credit Transfers

While you may still be progressing with your application, make sure you check out the schedules for the year including units and facilitations offering, key dates, fees, and the current Student Handbook.

You can also register in units for the upcoming trimester, and our staff will hold these to process after your application has been completed.

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Student Stories

As a person who is holding down a job, and volunteering at my local church leading in our youth ministry, my studies would not be possible without the flexibility that studying with ACOM provides. Their understanding of my ‘all of life’ and working with me to participate in study in a meaningful way that flexes to my life circumstances has been amazing. I am not sure I could have pursued my studies without it.
Tessa Sedawie – Bachelor of Ministry

Student Stories

ACOM's flexible delivery has been instrumental in my studies. I have benefited greatly from the ability to read through the coursework in my own time, around my busy schedule. The supportive staff and excellent online resources have also been invaluable.
Natalie Crawford – Master of Theology

Student Stories

A lot of theology training focuses on helping you know what to do, formation helped me go deeper and learn about who I wanted to become. As someone who learns a lot by doing, the highly practical nature of the ACOM model helped me put theory into practice immediately. The online learning helped me do that in the context I’d grown up in.
Ben Dainton – Graduate Diploma of Arts

Student Stories

My studies at ACOM equipped me to be job-ready by providing the ability to complete my student ministry placement in local churches, allowing me to apply what I was learning directly to real-world situations. The practical elements of the coursework gave me the hands-on experience and confidence needed to step into ministry roles, fully prepared to make a meaningful impact.
Lachie Ashworth – Bachelor of Ministry

Student Stories

Admittedly, at first I was nervous about the prospect of Spiritual Formation and what might be involved. But after my first Spiritual Formation retreat, Spiritual Formation very quickly became one of my favourite subjects, and created some of my fondest memories throughout my years studying with ACOM. The relationships I built and the journey I went on with my formation companions, has left a profound impact on my faith, the shaping of who I am, how I lead and my continued involvement in ministry today. I couldn’t recommend Spiritual Formation highly enough as a valuable part of your studies.
Lachie Ashworth – Bachelor of Ministry

Student Stories

As a relatively young person in an employed ministry position, I have greatly benefited from my degree of Bachelor of Ministry and have observed my growth through undergoing studies. While studying and working full time in ministry, I have found that each unit, in some way or another, is relevant to my job whether that be learning to preach or growing my Biblical literacy skills. Through working full-time in ministry, I have found that the online content and structures of my studies allows me to be flexible in structuring my learning around my busy ministry schedule. Each week I am able to accommodate my studies to fit my needs based on my schedule demands.
Libby Hall – Bachelor of Ministry

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