Explore a rewarding career in the mental health field supporting those in need.
Diverse opportunities await across various environments, with professions to suit your skill sets and training.
Amidst growing shortages of social workers, psychologists, and counsellors, your decision to retrain or study towards one of these areas can create a meaningful impact. You should consider the best pathway for your interests and aspirations.
Chances are that someone you know has struggled with their mental health. Maybe you have. You can be part of the solution.
Start studying for a fulfilling career supporting those with mental health challenges.
What is the difference between the mental health support options?
Psychology and social work are different but related disciplines and involve a career devoted to understanding and improving people's lives. Psychologists and counsellors often work together to provide support. Students should consider the best pathway for their interests and aspirations.
Counsellors
Work with everyday life stressors, coping skills and providing support.
Social workers
A discipline that works with people and systems at a local, national and global level providing psycho-social-support.
Psychologists
Assess, diagnose and treat people working with acute, complex and high impact conditions and situations.
Explore our courses
Counselling course options
Part-time only, minimum 2 years, maximum 5 years 
Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast, online
This course may not be available to international students. Please see our international page for courses that are offered to international students.
What is a counsellor?
Counsellors provide confidential support, information and therapy to people struggling with personal difficulties or with mental health problems. They help people with a range of issues spanning parenting, family relationships, stress, anxiety and depression, intimate partner violence, trauma, grief, addiction, abuse, and career concerns.
If you are interested in becoming a qualified counsellor you will need to complete the Graduate Diploma of Counselling where you’ll be eligible to register with the Australian Counselling Association.
Counsellors work with children, young people, adults, couples, families, and groups.
Counselling may be short-term, long-term, or over a lifetime, according to clients’ needs.
Counsellors are found in schools, crisis services, telephone counselling providers, courts, hospitals and private practice.
Understand mental health for yourself and others with the Diploma of Counselling
The Diploma of Counselling is an introductory course that provides graduate with the skillset to understand human behaviour.
Students explore a range of topics including mental health, the impact of chronic health conditions on quality of life, foundational mental health intervention skills, and applied counselling skills. Studies will focus on adopting healthy thoughts and behaviours as part of a self-care approach, introducing you to a range of skills to manage stress and enhance well-being of yourself and others through lifestyle, mindfulness, and positive psychology.
Students undertake the Diploma of Counselling for a variety of reasons, as a complimentary skillset to support their existing career, people managers looking to support their staff, and to build understanding in mental health to support self and others.
If you are interested in further study, you can progress with credit into the Bachelor of Psychological Science to continue your journey in the study of psychology and counselling.
If you are interested in becoming a registered counsellor you will need to complete the Graduate Diploma of Counselling where you’ll be eligible to register with the Australian Counselling Association.
Career options
15.1% = The projected employment growth for counsellors in the five years to May 2028.*
A career in counselling opens the doors to a wide range of job opportunities. Counsellors work for service organisations such as The Salvation Army, not-for-profit organisations such as Relationships Australia, in public and private schools, and in health centres.
Counsellors can work in private practice, especially in the area of relationship counselling, in drug and alcohol services, or with gambling help services. Counsellors also provide contract services for Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and the National Disability and Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
- School-based
- Youth counsellor
- Career counsellor
- School counsellor**
- Community worker
- Community development officer
- Community support worker
- Housing officer
- Youth worker, youth officer
- Juvenile justice worker
- Accommodation support
- Youth liaison
* Jobs and Skills, Australia
** To become a school counsellor, you need to complete approved courses in both primary/secondary education and psychology/school counselling. For example, a Bachelor of Education and a Graduate Diploma of Counselling.
Find out more about what you'll study, entry requirements, fees and scholarships - and how to apply.
Bachelor of Social Work with Honours
4 years full-time, up to 9 years part-time Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast
4 years full-time Hobart, Launceston 
CRICOS 098280K
Master of Social Work (Qualifying)
2 years full-time, up to 5 years part-time Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast
2 years full-time Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast CRICOS 098281J
What is a social worker?
Social workers are trained to support individuals, families, groups and communities to improve their wellbeing. They are dedicated to assisting people to improve their lives, with a focus on their personal and social wellbeing. They support people who are overcoming personal difficulties and structural barriers to be included in society and to realise their strengths and potential. They offer solutions, supports and pathways that make sense in the context of the person’s environment, preferences and abilities.
Social workers act individually and collectively to contribute to society in a way that is dedicated to achieving social justice, inclusion, and wellbeing.
Work in child wellbeing and protection, domestic and family violence, alcohol and drug use, housing and homelessness, disability, unemployment, and with Indigenous communities.
You’ll find social workers in a wide range of organisations and settings including federal and state governments, hospitals, schools, community services organisations, and private practice.
To become a social worker
Social workers complete either a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours (4-year university degree) or a Master of Social Work qualifying (2-year postgraduate university degree). They contain a compulsory, practical component of 1,000 hours. The Commonwealth Prac Payment offers social work students support while they’re undertaking mandatory placements. From July 2025, eligible students will be able to access $319.50 per week (benchmarked to the single Austudy rate) while they’re undertaking a placement.
This year at the University of Tasmania, the Social Work Clinic and Research Service, (SW-CARES) launches. Our SW-CARES Clinic is training the next generation of social workers - delivering excellent care to the highest standards, using the latest research. Under the close supervision of qualified and experienced social workers, we provide opportunities for students to develop evidence-based practice.
Do social workers need to be registered in Australia? No
As the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours and Master of Social Work (Qualifying) are both a professionally accredited qualification, awarded full accreditation by the Australian Association of Social Workers. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards.
Career options
Social work graduates work with people wherever lives are impacted by injustice, at community, individual, or whole society levels.
There are many opportunities to focus or specialise on issues, communities, or experiences that matter to you. Social work careers can include facilitating groups, designing and coordinating programs, working with individuals and families, supporting communities to advocate for change, researching and evaluating, and contributing to change through policy.
If you’re a passionate and empathetic person, and you aspire to support others and effect social change, social work could be the career for you.
15.9% = The projected employment growth for Social Workers in the five years to May 2028.*
- Child safety practitioner
- Project manager
- Youth worker
- Mental health practitioner
- Researcher
- Policy analyst and advisor
- Community development worker
- Migrant and refugee settlement workers
- Case manager
- Drug and alcohol counsellor
- Palliative care social worker
- Relationships counsellor
- Disability advocate
Find out more about what you'll study, entry requirements, fees and scholarships - and how to apply.
Psychological Science course options
3 years full-time, up to 7 years part-time Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast, online
3 years full-time Hobart, Launceston, Cradle Coast, online *CRICOS 089945D
What is a Psychologist?
A psychologist is focused on talking with patients to improve mental health and work through problems. Psychology is a broad area that is concerned with the mind and the ways that people think and act.
Focus on the functioning of the mind - such as understanding how children’s minds develop, how we learn and remember, and how we react and interact.
Many people will study psychology but not go on to work directly with patients in a clinical setting.
Career options
16.3% = The projected employment growth for psychologists in the five years to May 2028.*
Wherever there are people, a graduate of psychology can help.
Exiting Psychology with a Bachelor of Psychological Science offers many diverse career opportunities. There is a wide range of areas that psychology graduates can apply their behavioural expertise to improve human endeavours, be it in health, business, education, sport and more.
- Sports coaches, instructors and officials
- Advertising and marketing professionals
- Software and application programmers
- Diversional therapist
- Welfare, recreation and community arts workers
- Occupational and environmental health professional
- Health diagnostic and promotion professionals
- Intelligence and policy analysts
- Human resource professionals
- Counsellors
- Social research workers
- Public relations professionals
- Welfare support officers
- Authors, journalists and other writers
Become a psychologist
If you aim to become a registered psychologist, these steps will get you there:
- Complete our Bachelor of Psychological Science.
- Complete an APAC accredited, one-year honours in psychology
- Complete two additional years of training through postgraduate study
The Bachelor of Psychological Science provides a broad range of skills and knowledge, and confidence to pursue a wide range of careers upon graduation, without becoming a registered psychologist.
Your coursework will equip you with skills to design research projects and analyse behaviour. The degree is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).
