Course overview

Build essential counselling skills to confidently support those around you.

Taking on the role of a ‘casual counsellor’ with colleagues, friends, or employees can feel daunting, especially if you don’t work in a clinical role. Yet at some point, most of us will be called upon to support someone who is going through a difficult time. It can be hard to know what to say, how to respond, or when to step back.

This course equips you with the foundational counselling skills needed to have safe and supportive conversations in both professional and community contexts. You’ll learn how to listen with empathy, use effective communication strategies, and manage your own reactions in challenging situations.

You will also gain the confidence to recognise when further professional help is needed — ensuring you can support others while respecting your own boundaries. These skills are practical, transferable, and valuable for anyone who may find themselves providing support in workplaces, education, community settings, or everyday life.

Who should attend

This course is designed for staff across a range of workplaces - including community, education, health and business sectors - who may find themselves supporting colleagues, clients, students, or employees during challenging times.

Course structure

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Differentiate between counselling and providing emotional support
• Recognise when someone is not coping emotionally and decide when it is appropriate to intervene
• Demonstrate core counselling skills, including active listening, empathy, questioning, and reframing
• Understand and maintain personal and professional boundaries when offering support
• Refer individuals to specialist services or agencies when further help is needed
• Apply self-care strategies to manage their own emotional responses and recognise when support is needed

This training is delivered by experienced Relationships Australia Victoria practitioners, who bring extensive knowledge of counselling, supervision, and clinical practice.

About the presenters

Victoria Strong is a clinical counsellor and experienced trainer with Relationships Australia Victoria. She brings a diverse background that includes working in education as a disability and wellbeing coordinator, alongside extensive experience in direct client work with young people and their families.

Victoria has supported individuals through both everyday challenges and complex mental health issues, including gender diversity, sexual trauma, family violence, and suicidality. Her practice is grounded in compassion, evidence-based approaches, and a strong commitment to creating safe spaces for learning and support.

Enrolment and course access

Registrations close 48 hours before the scheduled training date. Once you register, you will receive access details for the online platform and pre-workshop instructions.

Technical requirements

To participate in the online workshop, you’ll need access to:

• A desktop or laptop computer
• Reliable internet connection
• Headphones (recommended)
• Microphone and speakers
• A built-in or external webcam

Contact us

For further details or questions, please contact our Centre for Learning and Innovation:

• Phone: (03) 8573 2222
• Email: [email protected]