Your Statement of Purpose

Counselling

Counselling is a rewarding, challenging and fulfilling career, and it is important that applicants demonstrate some general attributes that are necessary for counselling work. The counselling profession requires personal reflection, engagement with vulnerable members of the public, and considerable maturity and resilience to confront a range of social and mental health issues, as well as individual preparedness to process challenging, or affective scenarios safely for the student counsellor and the client. This Statement of Purpose explores your motivation to study counselling, your understanding of the profession, expectations of counselling training at the university, alignment with counselling professional ethics and code of professional conduct, and readiness for a program that requires intensive self-work and interpersonal skills.

In order to adhere to accreditation requirements with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia and the Australian Counselling Association, you must answer the following questions to demonstrate your academic and personal suitability for counselling programs. You should aim to answer each question in150–200 words.

The inclusion of academic and personal profession referees is compulsory for Domestic applicants and strongly recommended for International applications (local and / or English-speaking referees are preferred). Referees may be contacted to seek information that may support your application.

Please note that you will not be eligible for consideration for an offer until you have completed your Statement of Purpose and it is deemed satisfactory. Only one Statement of Purpose submission is permitted per intake. Applicants whose Statement of Purpose is not deemed satisfactory will be eligible to reapply for a future intake.

If you have any difficulties with your submission and need to resubmit, please contact Domestics Admissions or International Admissions to advise. Resubmission is not possible after assessment.

Name *
Email address (as used in your ND application) * Please ensure there are no spaces at the beginning or end of your email address.
Please indicate which application this is connected to *

Question 1: Describe what has inspired you to become a counsellor and outline why you think counselling is a positive career choice. In your response, please address the following questions: - Who and what has inspired you to become a counsellor? - What is your understanding of what counselling entails? - What area of counselling most interests you and why? For example - drugs and alcohol, children, trauma, couples and - relationships.


Question 2: Counselling programs require students to have the capacity to relate to people. Describe how well you think you relate (empathise, understand, communicate) to people. In your response, please consider the following questions: - How have you been involved in 'helping' people in the past? - What groups have you been involved in, and what was your unique contribution to the group? - What skills and potential qualities will you bring to counselling? - What have you learnt in your everyday life about what helps when people are struggling?


Question 3: Training to become a counsellor involves learning to develop reflexivity – the process of becoming self-aware. Comment on your level of self-awareness and how this has developed over time. In your response, please consider the following questions: - How have you demonstrated that you can receive, reflect on and act on feedback? - What do you do to overcome obstacles, challenges or problems? - What are some of your personal values and why?


I am studying * as a Domestic student on the Fremantle Campus as a Domestic student on the Sydney Campus as an International student on the Fremantle Campus as an International student on the Sydney Campus

Please include the contact details of an academic referee and a personal/professional referee below. The provision of referees is compulsory for Domestic applicants and strongly recommended for International applicants.

Academic Referee
Name
Email address
Phone number (include relevant area codes where required)
Institution
Position

Personal Professional Referee
Name
Email address
Phone number (include relevant area codes where required)
Institution (if applicable)
Position (if applicable)

The information provided in this form will only be used for the administrative or educational purposes of the University, or in accordance with your specific consent. The University will not disclose your personal information to a third party unless required to or permitted by law or where you have consented to the disclosure. Information relating to how the University collects, uses or discloses your personal information and how you may complain about the University’s handling of your personal information is contained in the University’s Privacy Policy.

You have a right to access your personal information that the University holds about you and to seek its correction. If you wish to access your personal information or inquire about the handling of your personal information, please contact Student Administration at student.admin@nd.edu.au