Hands-on training is an important part of your studies at JNI. We offer placement opportunities for students in not-for-profit and government welfare organisations across Sydney, including St Vincent de Paul Society, Lifeline, The Cancer Council, Department of Community Services and The Wayside Chapel. These placements are generally offered to students undertaking the Bachelor of Social Sciences programs and our Masters program.
In addition, JNI also has its own low-cost community-counselling centre on campus and in select locations throughout the Sydney metropolitan region, where our intern counsellors see members of the public for a reduced fee. These sessions offer students the opportunity to work with clients with a wide range of issues such as relationship difficulties, family and work related problems, anxiety, depression, phobias, grief, addiction and many other mental health concerns.
All our interns are in the Level 200 or 300 of their degree or post-graduate program and are carefully selected by us to ensure that clients get the highest quality counselling experience possible.
What’s it like in the field?
I’ve been so fortunate with my JNI counselling placement at Lifeline in Gordon. I also worked at the Wayside Chapel at kings cross as a student counsellor…Getting a good placement is a great experience.
OLIVIA SAXON
JNI Graduate – Masters of Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy
I worked with a group of homeless men who are now no longer homeless. They happened to be able to play musical instruments and they had a little band together. I worked with that band and a venue and we were able to give them their first live concert in front of an audience. It was a huge success for them. What means most to me about that experience was the self esteem and the re-belief in themselves. If I have something to be proud of, that would certainly be it...My next [work] experience will be working with disabled people.
PATRICK SPICER
JNI Student – Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
