4 years part-time

Online (Distance Education) with compulsory Residentials in Canberra.

View our Residentials calendar. (Includes Residentials for subjects across our courses.)

Applicants should:

• be able to demonstrate personal suitability to undertake professional practice as a pastoral counsellor, including self-awareness, relational capacity, personal ethical practice, being able to reflect on and learn from experience, and being open to positive and  challenging feedback; AND
• hold an undergraduate degree in theology, psychology or equivalent.

Applicants with degrees in other disciplines are encouraged to apply; OR

• have successfully completed the Graduate Diploma of Pastoral Counselling at CSU; OR
• hold a Graduate Diploma of Counselling from another institution; if so they may be required to complete the Applied Pastoral Theology subject before being granted admission to the Master of Pastoral Counselling.

These subjects are covered in the Graduate Diploma of Pastoral Counselling and will be part of the Masters course.

• Pastoral Counselling: Theory and Professional Issues
• Pastoral Counselling: Grief and Loss
• Pastoral Counselling: Crisis Intervention
• Pastoral Counselling: Relationship and Family
• Pastoral Counselling: Mental Health and Trauma
• Spiritual Direction in the Christian Tradition
• Applied Pastoral Theology

MASTER OF PASTORAL COUNSELLING (128 POINTS)

All of the Graduate Diploma of Pastoral Counselling Subjects listed above, plus:

• Advanced Pastoral Counselling (16 points)
• Social Research Methods for Pastoral Studies (8 points)
• Pastoral Counselling: Research Proposal (8 points)
• Pastoral Counselling Dissertation (32 points)

MASTER OF PASTORAL COUNSELLING (CLINICAL) (13 SUBJECTS)

All of the Graduate Diploma of Pastoral Counselling Subjects listed above, plus:

• Advanced Pastoral Counselling (16 points)
• Theological Ethics for the Helping Professions (8 points)
• Pastoral Counselling Professional Practice (16 points)
• Reflective Practitioner Perspectives in Pastoral Counselling (16 points)
• Social Research Methods for Pastoral Studies (8 points)

This Masters course in counselling emphasises face-to-face practical sessions for role play and hands-on learning. This course includes a focus on applying course learning to the student’s background context for all assessment tasks.

The Master of Pastoral Counselling (Clinical) has been accredited by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) as a postgraduate counselling training program. It satisfies the academic and professional training requirements for ‘Provisional Membership’ with PACFA. Further client and supervision hours will be required beyond the Master of Pastoral Counselling (Clinical) program to meet the  ‘Clinical Membership’ (750/75) category.

The Graduate Diploma of Pastoral Counselling and the Master of Pastoral Counselling have been accredited by Australian Counselling Association (ACA) as an approved postgraduate counselling training program.

When you study Master of Pastoral Counselling you will be able to make a difference to people’s lives by providing spiritual and psychological support to those who need it most. You will develop the skills and experience to offer counselling across a wide range of settings – pastoral and clinical practice, church and community work, and lay or ordained ministry – to help people with any issue, be it personal, family, marital or faith.