Counsellors provide information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.
Occupation description
Counsellors provide information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies. The occupation group Counsellors nec covers Counsellors not elsewhere classified.
Occupations considered suitable under this ANZSCO code:
- Gambling Counsellor
- Grief Counsellor
- Life Coach
- Sexual Assault Counsellor
- Trauma Counsellor
Occupations in this group may work in a call center.
Occupations not considered under this ANZSCO code:
Other occupations included in the ANZSCO Unit Group 2721 Counsellors:
- Careers Counsellor
- Drug and Alcohol Counsellor
- Family and Marriage Counsellor
- Rehabilitation Counsellor
- Student Counsellor
Psychologists are advised to contact the Australian Psychological Society for assessment as a Psychologist for migration purposes.
Counsellor NEC is a VETASSESS Group A occupation
This occupation requires a qualification assessed as comparable to the educational level of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Bachelor degree or higher, in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation.
important note - counsellors nec
Some occupations assessed by VETASSESS are listed as ‘nec’ which means ‘not elsewhere classified’.
If nominating one of these occupations, you must ensure that your qualifications and employment are highly relevant to one of the occupation titles given in the ANZSCO description for the particular occupation. Other specific occupation titles which cannot be found elsewhere in ANZSCO will be considered on a case-by-case basis as long as they are relevant to the ‘nec’ codes. In order to be assessed against an ‘nec’ code, your occupation would generally be described as non-classified, yet specialised or related to its ANZSCO Unit Group description. Your employment in these nominated occupations should not better match another ANZSCO code (whether assessed by VETASSESS or not).
When considering whether to nominate an ‘nec’ occupation, you should consider the sub major group description and determine whether your skills best fit this category. VETASSESS conducts a case-by-case assessment to determine whether the employment can be considered highly relevant to the classification.
If an applicant’s employment is highly relevant to another ANZSCO occupation, the same period of employment cannot be assessed suitably against an ‘nec’ classification, regardless of whether the occupation is available for migration purposes or not.
Specialisations within the Health and Welfare Services Managers nec classification include (but are not limited to): Director of Pharmacy, Director of Physiotherapy Services, Director of Speech Pathology, Manager of Allied Health Services, Disability Services Program Manager. Applicants should provide a cover letter that justifies the rationale for choosing an ‘nec’ category.
Description of Pathways
The information below describes the available pathways for a Skills Assessment under Group A. Please note that in order to achieve a successful Skills Assessment Outcome, a positive assessment for both qualifications and employment is required.
Pathway 1
This pathway requires a qualification assessed as comparable to the education level of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Bachelor degree or higher degree and in a field highly relevant to the nominated occupation. Bachelor degree or higher degree includes AQF Master Degree or AQF Doctoral Degree. In addition, it is essential for applicants to meet the following employment criteria:
- at least one year of post-qualification employment at an appropriate skill level, undertaken in the last five years,
- working 20 hours or more per week, and
- highly relevant to the nominated occupation.
Pathway 2
This pathway requires a qualification that has been assessed as comparable to the educational level of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Bachelor Degree or higher, in a field not highly relevant but related to the nominated occupation, as listed below, and an additional qualification in the field of Counselling or Psychotherapy at a minimum of AQF Graduate Diploma level. Related fields for a Bachelor qualification include:
- Psychology / Psychological Science
- Psychiatry
- Social Work
- Mental Health / Mental Health Nursing
- Special Education
- Behavioural Science
- Criminology
Bachelor degree or higher degree includes AQF Master Degree or AQF Doctoral Degree. In addition, it is essential for applicants to meet the following employment criteria:
- at least one year of post-qualification employment at an appropriate skill level, undertaken in the last five years,
- working 20 hours or more per week, and
- highly relevant to the nominated occupation.
Please note- TO be eligible, the one year of employment must have been undertaken after the completion of a qualification comparable to an AQF Bachelor Degree or higher.
Qualification and Employment Criteria
Counsellors provide information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.
The occupation group Counsellors nec covers Counsellors not elsewhere classified in ANZSCO.
Highly relevant tasks include, but are not limited to:
- conducting counselling interviews with individuals, couples and family groups.
- presenting alternative approaches and discussing potential for attitude and behaviour change.
- may work in a call centre.
Additional tasks may include:
- maintaining accurate and confidential client records.
- referring clients to other practitioners and service providers where appropriate.
In Australia, there are currently no legal requirements for licensing or registration for the occupation of Counsellor. Membership of a professional body such as the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia may be required by employers.
Supporting material for assessment
When applying for a Skills Assessment, please ensure you submit sufficient evidence supporting your proof of identity, qualification and employment claims. A full list of the documents required can be found on the VETASSESS website under Eligibility Criteria.
If you are nominating this managerial occupation, you must submit an organisational chart. This chart should include:
- The company letterhead
- Your job position
- The job positions of your superiors and subordinates as well as all positions reporting to your immediate supervisor and your direct subordinates.
The chart should also indicate the department’s location within the overall company structure.
If you are unable to obtain an organisational chart from your employer, you must provide a statutory declaration outlining the required information and the reasons why you cannot provide the information.
Applicants applying for this occupation should provide a cover letter that justifies their rationale for choosing an nec category.
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