Three Doorways In: Exploring Metavision's November Intake
Many people come to Metavision after sensing that something is missing in more conventional approaches to helping. Perhaps you have felt the pull toward this work for years. Perhaps it is newer, sparked by your own experience of transformation. Either way, our November intake opens three different doorways into holistic counselling and psychotherapy, each suited to a different point on the path.
This is not a single course with three add-ons. It is three distinct journeys — a grounded introduction to counselling, an accredited unit tracing the roots of the profession, and a five-month immersion into the body and the land. Below, we walk through what each one offers, where it can lead, and how you might begin to sense which is calling you.
1. Holistic Counselling Programs (Units 1 & 2)
What it is
Holistic Counselling is Metavision’s grounded entry point — two twelve-week units, delivered online with facilitated sessions and guided practice, that build the foundational skills and inner capacities of counselling work. Unit 1 begins with the essentials: deep listening as a practice of presence, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and the emotional intelligence that underpins ethical practice. From there, students move through communication, an introduction to process-oriented psychology, and working with conflict — culminating in integration and assessment.
Unit 2 deepens the work. Students explore inner work, reflective listening and nonviolent communication, the skilful use of questions, ethics and power, and diversity in counselling practice — building applied confidence alongside self-awareness.
You can begin with Unit 1 if you are new to counselling, or move into Unit 2 if you have already completed Unit 1 or bring equivalent foundational learning. No prior experience is required to start.
Who it suits
This is the course for
- people newer to counselling and helping work
- those still exploring whether this path is right for them
- practitioners already working in health, education, community services, coaching, or leadership who want to bring more relational depth into what they already do
Where it can lead
Holistic Counselling forms a preparatory pathway toward Metavision’s accredited postgraduate programs — the Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Holistic Practice) and the Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Holistic Practice) — subject to individual background and eligibility. For many, it is also simply a meaningful destination in its own right: a way to deepen presence, communication, and relational capacity in whatever work or life they are already living.
November intake: Begins 12 November.
2. Unit 101 — Models for Holistic Counselling and Psychotherapy
What it is
Unit 101 is an accredited micro-credential — a twelve-week unit tracing the development of the holistic counselling profession from its origins in Freudian psychoanalysis and Jungian depth psychology, through to the many schools of thought that followed: psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, humanistic counselling, Wilber’s integral approach, process-oriented and anthroposophical models. Delivered as six fortnightly tutorials, it situates Metavision’s own approach within this wider history, exploring the metaskills, influences, and contemporary issues that shape the field today.
Because this unit is TEQSA-accredited, successful completion earns you a certificate and transcript — and if you go on to enrol in the Graduate Diploma or Master’s, you receive automatic credit for it.
Who it suits
Unit 101 asks a little more of you at the door: applicants generally need a bachelor’s degree or higher that includes counselling skills training, or relevant work experience or prior training in a related field (an alternative Portfolio for Admission pathway exists if you do not meet this). It is designed for those currently studying Holistic Counselling Units 1 or 2 with an eye toward the Graduate Diploma or Master’s, and for those who already know they want to continue into postgraduate study but would like to test the waters first.
Where it can lead
This is described as the first stepping stone into a future in counselling or psychotherapy. Completing it allows you to continue directly into the Graduate Diploma of Counselling (Holistic Practice) or the Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Holistic Practice).
November intake: Begins 12 November.
3. Wild Reverence: Somatic Ecotherapy
What it is
Somatic Ecotherapy is something altogether different in shape — a five-month experiential training that weaves somatic inquiry together with ecotherapy, guided by somatic psychotherapist Rob Engels. Rather than a linear curriculum, the program moves through the Five Terrains Framework: Trailhead, Meadow, Forest, Mountain, and Sky-Cave — a poetic, developmental arc that carries participants from ceremony and sensory arrival into inner wilderness, ecological identity, and the edge of mystery.
Across five months, the program includes sixteen live Zoom classes, three guided ecotherapy walks, four self-led practice walks with feedback, live supervision sessions, and an optional four-day wilderness retreat. Certification does not depend on remote wilderness access — all practices are designed to work with local parks, gardens, or bushland — nor on attending the retreat.
Who it suits
This training is for therapists, coaches, facilitators, and space-holders who feel called to integrate nature-based and somatic approaches into their work, as well as for those simply seeking a deeper, embodied relationship with the land and with themselves. No prior training in somatic work or ecotherapy is required.
Where it can lead
Upon completing all requirements, graduates are certified through Metavision Institute as a Somatic Ecotherapy Guide — equipped to offer their own somatic ecotherapy sessions to others, whether alongside an existing therapeutic or coaching practice or as a new offering entirely.
November intake: Course begins 4 November.
Which Doorway Is Calling You?
Sometimes the mind already knows. Sometimes the body knows first. If you are still listening for which path fits, this short reflection may help you notice what is already present in you.
For each question, choose the answer that feels most true — not most impressive.
- When you imagine yourself doing this work, what are you most drawn to?
- A. Sitting with another person, learning to truly listen and hold space for what they bring
- B. Understanding the ideas and history behind why counselling works the way it does
- C. Being outdoors, moving, sensing — feeling the earth as part of the healing
- What best describes where you are right now?
- A. New to counselling, or exploring whether this path is right for me
- B. I already have some background — a degree, training, or work experience — and I am aiming toward postgraduate study
- C. I already work with people in some capacity and want to bring in body and nature-based practice
- What kind of learning rhythm suits you best?
- A. A steady twelve-week structure with weekly sessions and gradual skill-building
- B. Fortnightly deep-dive tutorials that let me sit with ideas between sessions
- C. A slower, five-month unfolding, with live classes, guided walks, and space to integrate
- What would feel like a meaningful outcome at the end?
- A. A foundation of presence and relational skill I can build on, whatever comes next
- B. A credit-bearing unit that moves me toward a Graduate Diploma or Master’s
- C. Certification as a guide who can hold somatic ecotherapy sessions for others
Mostly As — Holistic Counselling Program (Units 1 & 2) This is a grounded place to begin. You are drawn to the foundational work of presence, deep listening, and relational skill — and you do not need prior experience to start.
Mostly Bs — Unit 101: Models for Holistic Counselling and Psychotherapy You already carry some background, and you are ready to understand the intellectual roots of this field while moving deliberately toward postgraduate study.
Mostly Cs — Wild Reverence: Somatic Ecotherapy Your calling has a body and a landscape to it. This five-month journey offers the depth, the ceremony, and the certification to guide others in this way.
Whichever doorway feels closest, you are welcome to explore it further. If you are still unsure, you are always invited to book a conversation with our team to talk through your readiness and next steps.
