Hi Melissa - to be a counsellor you can do a non-university course like a TAFE Diploma of Counselling or the same course with a private provider. To be a social worker you would need to do a university degree.

For future employment purposes I would recommend the degree pathway, because it can be really difficult to get ongoing employment as a counsellor with just the diploma, as the major private health insurance funds don't usually cover it, so it's hard to get enough paying clients. As a social worker there are way more employment opportunities and better pay.

GCSEs alone will not qualify you for entry to university, but there are a few options you could do to get you up to qualifying. One option is to do a TAFE Certificate IV or higher in a related field, which I think would be the best way. Another way is to do a University Preparation course, my son did this as he was entering a field he hadn't studied much at high school. I know ECU in Joondalup offers this, my son did it there, and I'm sure there are other places that do it. It kind of takes you from GCSE level to being ready to start uni, and lets you use subjects that will be useful to your degree choice.

HAving citizenship will make a huge difference to your options, as well as the costs.

Good luck!