Back-to-front, L-R: Chela Dawson, Associate Professor Vicki Banham, Jessica Pitschke, Professor Julie Ann Pooley, Dr Sonam Pelden, Tshering Wangmo and Jodie McKenzie.
This exciting initiative comes through a collaboration with ACA and is part of a broader Australian Government drive to strengthen university-industry connections.
The internship, awarded to PhD candidate Tshering Wangmo under the supervision of Associate Professor Vicki Banham, involves researching curricula models and developing a comprehensive online training course for ACA.
Associate Professor Banham said in undertaking this internship, Tshering will have the opportunity to share her unique experiences and cultural insights from Bhutan with experts from ACA.
"Sharing her experience will greatly enrich the online training course and provide valuable perspectives to her Australian counterparts," said Professor Banham.
PhD candidate Tshering Wangmo is looking forward to the internship and says that she is grateful for this significant opportunity and responsibility to share her experiences as an international student on an Australia-wide platform.
The course will be available to counsellors across Australia, highlighting ECU's commitment to impactful research with national reach.
CEO of ACA, Jodie McKenzie and ECU PhD candidate Tshering Wangmo.
To kick off the project, ACA CEO Jodie McKenzie visited ECU's campus from Queensland for a workshop on Tuesday 4 March.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders, including Tshering Wangmo, academic supervisors Associate Professor Banham and Dr Sonam Pelden, ECU's Academic Lead for counselling discipline and Course Coordinator for the counselling and psychotherapy programs, and Associate Dean of Psychology, Counselling and Criminology Professor Julie Ann Pooley and Chela Dawson from ECU's Employability Team.
The aim of this collaborative meeting was to align project goals, discuss curriculum development strategies, and explore how this opportunity can benefit both ACA members and future ECU candidates.
"This internship not only provides Tshering with valuable industry experience but also strengthens ECU's position in the counselling and mental health education space," said Professor Pooley.
"We see this as a model for future industry collaborations that enrich student learning and broaden career opportunities."
ACA CEO Jodie McKenzie echoed this enthusiasm, highlighting the opportunity for these internships to elevate professional standards and increase research within counselling education.
"We're excited to work with ECU on this important project and look forward to sharing with our members across Australia," Jodie McKenzie said.
The ACA plans to feature ECU's involvement in their member communications, providing widespread visibility and reinforcing ECU's leadership in applied research and employability initiatives.
Stay tuned for updates on this groundbreaking partnership and how it continues to open doors for ECU students and the broader counselling community.
For information on PhD internships please contact the Employability Team.
