How do I become a crisis counsellor
Get qualified to work as a crisis counsellor with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.
Related career opportunities
Browse occupations related to Crisis Counsellor.
Common questions
The average salary for qualified counsellors in Australia is currently $1,300 per week ($67,600 annually). Increase your earning capacity by undertaking post-graduate qualifications in counselling and psychotherapy and registering with professional organisations like the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).
Courses.com.au Team
There are 35,000 counsellors working in Australia right now, some of these are Crisis Counsellors. They work in crisis call-centres and emergency helplines, hospitals, aged care facilities, community health clinics, and correctional service facilities. Some Crisis Counsellors work in private practice.
Courses.com.au Team
To work as a Crisis Counsellor in Australia you need a VET Diploma of Counselling and membership with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). However, you you will have more employment opportunities with a Bachelor of Counselling, Graduate Diploma of Counselling, or Master of Counselling and elevating your membership with the ACA or PACFA.
Source: Australian Government Labour Market Insights 2023
Courses.com.au Team
Further reading
What can you do with a Diploma of Counselling?
11th September 2019
How to start a career in Mental Health
5th August 2021All crisis counsellor courses
Crisis Counsellor careers
Crisis Counsellors are qualified mental health professionals who provide counselling support and activate crisis interventions for people who are in extreme distress. They often work with hospital patients, corrections inmates, and school students — but many Crisis Counsellors provide emergency counselling over the phone and online.
As a Crisis Counsellor you could be answering a call at 2am from a young teen who is experiencing domestic and family violence, attending a woman at a hospital who has just been sexually assaulted, activating a crisis intervention for a school student who is self-harming, writing up file-notes after a crisis intervention, having a session with your supervisor, or attending professional development training to keep your professional membership active.
To be successful in this role you will need a well-developed sense of empathy, outstanding listening skills, and the ability to make clear decisions in emergency situations.
