News & Stories

Human psychology is right on trend

Human psychology has become a popular study choice for many Year 12 leavers and mature aged students, partly due to the multitude of career choices available.

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Human psychology has become a popular study choice for students of any age, partly due to the multitude of career choices available. While some students stay on and complete a master’s program, others choose a rewarding career in counselling.

Ella Cuthbertson studied a Graduate Diploma in Counselling (M6I) and told us about her experiences with the University of Tasmania and her pathway to become a counselling professional, now that she is employed in her area of study.

“I began studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science (53Y) which allowed me to learn more about my options in this field. After graduating in 2016 I decided to enrol in the Graduate Diploma in Counselling.”

My studies gave me the opportunity to broaden my skills. There was a strong emphasis on role-playing and simulated scenarios which allowed me to continue developing my knowledge base. We used real-life case studies in workshops to gain our practical skills.

“Now that I’ve finished my studies, I’ve been working in a not-for-profit community mental health organisation doing one-on-one recovery work with individuals who are experiencing mental illness. I’m using a lot of the counselling skills that I learnt in the course to inform my approach in my job," she said.

“Being able to register as a member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) helped make me look more appealing to potential employees and not all counselling courses allow you register with the ACA.”

Ella said the word 'health' means more to her than just the physiological state of our bodies or physical health in general.

“To me it encompasses mental health and a balanced environment as a part of the overall health of a person. I think the perception of mental health and the stigma attached to discussing this is definitely starting to change.

I would definitely recommend the University of Tasmania because I feel there has been a lot of support for students, not only from the staff in the Division of Psychology but also the mental health workshop days at UTAS which helped.

"I’ve found the support I have received from the teaching team to be really good. The sense of community in Tasmania is really strong and you feel this during your studies.”

Keen to follow in Ella's footsteps? Apply now to study Counselling.