Counselling Placements

Student counselling placement is an essential part of your training at Metavision Institute – where classroom learning meets real-world practice. This page outlines everything you need to know about your placement journey, including what’s involved, how to prepare, and the support available to help you succeed.

Whether you’re studying the Graduate Diploma or Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy, placement is a key step in developing your confidence, competence, and professional identity as a holistic counsellor.

Counselling Placement Overview

As part of your journey to becoming a professional counsellor, completing placement is a key requirement of both the Graduate Diploma and Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy at Metavision Institute. Placement offers valuable hands-on experience where you’ll apply theory into real-world practice under professional supervision.

What Placement Involves

Placement is divided into two core components:

Direct Client Contact (DCC)
These are hours spent directly working with clients in a counselling setting. This includes conducting counselling sessions and using your counselling skills in a professional, supervised environment.
Client-Related Activities (CRA)
These are hours spent supporting your work with clients. CRA includes writing case notes, participating in supervision, preparing for sessions, attending team meetings, and reflecting on your practice.

Placement Hour Requirements

Course	Total Hours	DCC Hours	CRA Hours
Graduate Diploma (GDC)	100	25	75
Master’s – Year 1	100	25	75
Master’s – Year 2	100	55	45

Note: Students are responsible for sourcing their own placement but are supported by the Placement Coordinator and academic staff throughout the process.

Supervision Requirements

Students must be supervised by a qualified clinical supervisor.
Supervision includes both individual and group sessions and must align with PACFA requirements.
You’ll receive feedback on your client work and develop reflective practice skills.

Getting Started with Placement

To begin placement, students must:

Have completed foundational counselling skills units.
Submit all required documentation including:
- Current Police Check
- Working with Children Check (or equivalent in your state)
- Placement agreement forms
Attend a placement orientation session.

Support Available

You’ll be supported by:

The Placement Coordinator – for documentation, agreements, and guidance.
Your Academic Supervisor – for feedback, reflective practice, and integrating theory with experience.
The Student Liaison Officer – for wellbeing and general support.

Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs)

Can I get exceptions for prior experiences?

No, placement or Work Integrated Learning is compulsory. You cannot get credit for it, even if you have been a counsellor in private practice or work for an agency. It is part of the TEQSA accreditation. The idea is to get experience in other contexts and have the opportunity to put newly acquired knowledge and skills into practice.

What are the requirements to consider when thinking about placement?

The fundamental requirements set out by TEQSA, PACFA, the Fair Work Commission and insurance requirements include that:

Placement is voluntary. The organisation you are with may charge an admin fee.
Clients are fully informed that you are a student counsellor.
Placement students cannot replace a paid employee.
When developing counselling skills, a student must engage in Work Integrated Learning (placement).
Placement students develop ethical understandings before entering into a placement organisation.

When can I start my placement?

You can only start placement after you have completed two tasks for Unit 108, which begins in semester 2. This means that you can generally start placement in August. However, you can register for a placement position and engage in training and orientation before semester two begins.

When can I start contacting organisations for placement?

You can start contacting organisations straight away for placement opportunities. It is a good idea to start, as the process may take some time.

Can I do more than one placement?

Yes. You may need to do more than one placement to meet all the requirements because it may only provide aspects of your requirements or it may not meet the number of hours you require. You may also choose to do more than one placement because you want to engage in a range of experiences.

Can I get special considerations so I can start my placement early?

No. We are required to follow industry regulations, and as such, we are unable to accommodate this. You can volunteer with an organisation

Can I get special considerations to finish my placement late?

This is possible, but consider that just like an assessment, it has limits. To be eligible for graduation from the GDC and to continue your master’s program, you must have Unit 108 by the submission of grades to the academic committee, usually in early December.

As a master’s student, can I continue placement after completing unit 108?

Some placements run outside of or do not conform to semesters. Therefore, special consideration is given to Master’s students who engage with organisations that require extended contracts. These students are still required to complete unit 108 within the time frame and be engaged in a placement commitment during unit 207.

What sort of organisations are appropriate for placement?

Organisations that are suitable for placement are those that are related to the field of counselling and mental health: wellbeing centers, counselling clinics, private practices, help lines, holistic and integrative centers, retreats, community centers, coaching clinics, hospitals, schools, etc.

Can I do my placement at my workplace?

Not generally. You can only do a placement at your workplace if there is a capacity to work under a supervisor outside of your normal work. For example, upskilling in a managerial role, working on a project or developing skills in another area or department. Placement is about developing new skills and cannot be part of your current work, replace your current work or be paid for.

Can I get exceptions for prior experiences?

Can you explain placement hours?

Placement hours include two parts:

Direct Client Contact (DCC) and Client-Related Activities (CRA)

Graduate Diploma (GDC) & 1st Year of Master’s:

25 hours must be Direct Client Contact (DCC)
75 hours are Client-Related Activities (CRA)

2nd Year of Master’s:

55 hours must be Direct Client Contact (DCC)
45 hours are Client-Related Activities (CRA)

Group Work and Placement Hours

If you are an active counsellor in the group therapy:
- Counts as Direct Client Contact (DCC)
- You’re applying professional counselling skills.
If you are observing or shadowing another professional:
- Counts as Client-Related Activities (CRA)
- You’re not directly engaging in counselling.

Direct Client Contact (DCC)

Client-Related Activities (CRA)

Direct client contact focuses on direct interactions with clients that contribute to the student’s development of professional competencies. This includes using various communication methods that support client-focused assessment or intervention.
Activities that provide student counsellors with opportunities to acquire the professional competencies required for counselling. These activities involve working directly with clients and may include:
Interactions with clients through various modes including in person and person to person via telehealth (telephone video, email and instant messaging).
Interactions requiring the use of counselling skills with significant others in the client system.
Activities that do not count as direct client contact hours include case presentations, supervision, reflective teams, note-taking, role-playing, practice sessions, and client observation.

Activities that support students in acquiring the required professional competencies and are distinct from direct client contact, though supportive of it. These activities may include:
Phone calls, focus groups, and meetings or case management in support of client service provision.
File review, report writing and team meetings where the student reports on client progress.
Completing logbooks and assessment tasks for WIL experiences.
Participation in supervision sessions and professional development activities (e.g. simulated activities, role plays, workshops).
Travel related to client care, with a limit of 20% of client-related activity hours, especially relevant for regional and remote WIL experience

As a holistic counselling institution, we require you to have a portfolio or range of experiences. While you may be able to include group work for DCC, we ask that you show a range of counselling experiences, as described above, to show competency. For example, you can do a combination of online, in-person, and group work to meet your DCC hours.

For more information of Placement / Work Integrated Learning please contact Metavision’s Placement office Anne Miller

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