Tessa’s journey to becoming a School Guidance Counsellor

We spoke to Tessa Hogan, a current student of the Master of Education (School Guidance and Counselling) degree, who is determined to make a positive difference to the wellbeing of young people in Australia. Tessa shares her dream of becoming a school guidance officer and how she worked towards this dream alongside her teaching role.

“Education is very empowering, and it's the one thing that can't be taken away from you”

Why study the Master of Education (School Guidance and Counselling)?

Tessa’s main motivator for pursuing the this degree was to bring a new perspective to how well-being programs are implemented within schools.

“This course has given me the skills that I need to connect with children and young people who are in the midst of probably the hardest times in their life.”

“Being able to connect with children and meet them at their level and understand their world is really integral for being able to support them in gaining the tools to face life's challenges. Because if we aren't able to connect and understand children that are going through hardship, we're not able to give them those tools, and they're basically going through life alone.”

Implementing new skills while you study

The degree helps students to master essential counselling techniques and communication skills. This course empowers students to build self-awareness, understand others' needs, and guide clients toward solving problems and reaching their goals. It also teaches psychoeducational assessments, gaining expertise in the tools and techniques that guidance officers and school counsellors rely on.

Tessa says, “The course has given me the enhanced skills that I need to connect with children and young people. Being able to connect with them and meet them at their level and understand their world is integral for being able to support them in gaining the tools to face life's challenges. It's just a very rewarding degree, and there's so much to be gained from learning in this space.”

What motivates you to become a School Guidance Counsellor?

“I've been teaching children and young people for about a decade now. And, what motivates me in my journey is being able to connect and build relationships with students, identify their strengths, and find what areas they need support in to access learning."

"Guidance counseling is important because a Guidance Counselor doesn't just respond when things go wrong. The key parts of their role, is they're there to build relationships with not only students, but staff and families and community to identify what barriers children face to learning, whether that be emotionally, functionally etc"

"I'm hoping to be someone that students can trust and feel supported by in identifying their strengths and building hope for the future."

How do you study and work as a teacher at the same time?

We recognise the demands on teacher schedules, which is why we have study options of on campus or online. The Master of Education includes online intensive sessions held before semester begins and you would also need to attend sessions during the Queensland school holidays.

Tessa shared that having this flexibility was integral to her successfully being able to juggle her busy schedule. She said she “really loves the way that the course has been set up for someone that needs to work full time and study part time and takes into consideration the schedule of a teacher. For example, a lot of our units are over school holidays, which I find to be great, because I can get all the work done that I need to, and then I just have to submit assignments during the school term.”

"QUT has also considered that people need to learn flexibly as adult learners as well, and we'll have lectures at 6pm at night, rather than 11 o'clock during the workday.”

"Being able to have that balance is really important to me, so I'm appreciative of the flexibility that's come from QUT and knowing what teachers need and how to work into their professional and personal schedule as well.”

Support while you study the Master of Education

“I've been really lucky to have a lot of engagement, with my course coordinator, who I have a lot of respect for. They just have that real-world experience and expertise which I've been fortunate to learn from.

Not only that, Tessa shared her appreciation for the course coordinator being “accessible, communicative, and holding space for us to ask questions. They were attentive and gave really comprehensive feedback.” Tessa credits her learning to having a great “professional connection with my lecturer and feeling safe to be vulnerable and ask the silly questions.”

Ready to make a difference?

“If you want to empower not only students, but also school community in having strong connections, then the Master of Education (School Guidance and Counselling) is absolutely the right choice for you.”

If you are interested in studying the Master of Education (School Guidance and Counselling) course like Tessa, head to the course page for more details.

Study School Guidance and Counselling