Bethlehem College
Counsellor Kaitohutohu
Counsellors help people to deal with challenges and manage their emotions, thoughts and behaviour.
Counsellors can apply to become members of a professional organisation such as the:
- New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)
- New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association (NZCCA).
Counsellors may do some or all of the following:
- provide counselling face to face, over the phone, or online
- encourage clients to discuss challenges in their lives
- help clients to talk about their feelings and find ways to cope
- discuss changes that clients could make and help them to make decisions
- research ways to deal with clients' specific problems
- keep client records
- run workshops and courses.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for counsellors includes:
- volunteer work with organisations such as Lifeline and Youthline
- social or community work
- work that involves helping or caring for people
- research or study in fields such as psychology
- life experience.
Personal Qualities
Counsellors need to be:
- mature and professional
- caring, empathetic and positive
- good listeners and communicators
- patient and persistent
- able to keep information private
- able to relate to people from a range of cultures and backgrounds.
Skills
Counsellors need to have knowledge of:
- counselling theories and techniques
- human behaviour and thought patterns
- grief, addiction and sexual abuse, and how these problems can affect people
- social and cultural problems
- research in their area of counselling.
Conditions
Counsellors:
- usually work regular business hours, but may do shift work
- work in private practices, clients' homes, schools, hospitals or prisons
- may travel locally to visit clients.
Subject Recommendations
NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. Useful subjects include English, psychology, health education, social studies and languages.
Related Subjects
Counsellors can earn around $57K-$86K per year.
Pay for counsellors varies depending on their employer, qualifications and experience.
Counsellors working for Te Whatu Ora Heath NZ (former DHBs)
- Qualified counsellors usually earn $58,000 to $86,000 a year
- Senior counsellors, who may also supervise staff, can earn $87,000 to $119,000.
Guidance counsellors with teaching qualifications who work in secondary schools
- Guidance counsellors in secondary schools usually earn $57,000 to $95,000 a year. From 2 December 2024 they will earn $61,000 to $103,000 a year.
Self-employed counsellors
Self-employed counsellors may earn more than this, depending on the success of their business.
Sources: Auckland Region District Health Boards/PSA, ‘Allied, Public Health, Scientific & Technical Multi Employer Collective Agreement, expires 30 June 2023’, District Health Boards/PSA, ‘Allied, Public Health, Scientific & Technical Multi Employer collective agreement, expires 30 June 2023’, and Ministry of Education, 'Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement Effective: 3 July 2022 to 2 July 2025.'
Experienced counsellors may progress to set up their own private practice, or move into management roles.
Counsellors may specialise in:
- drug and alcohol counselling
- family counselling
- sexual abuse counselling.
Years Of Training
3-5 years of training usually required.To become a counsellor you usually need to:
- have a Bachelor's degree, or higher qualification, in counselling
- be registered with one of the professional organisations for counsellors.
The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) requires new members to have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in counselling.
The Vulnerable Children Act 2014 means that if you have certain serious convictions, you can’t be employed in a role where you are responsible for, or work alone with, children.
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