The Cairnmillar Institute

What The Cairnmillar Institute does

The Cairnmillar Institute (CMI) is an Australian not-for-profit registered health promotion charity founded in 1961 in Victoria, operating as a specialist higher education, vocational training, and clinical mental health provider. The institute delivers accredited academic programs from undergraduate (Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling) through postgraduate, Master's, and PhD levels, alongside VET courses such as the Diploma of Counselling, professional development workshops (Mental Health First Aid, Core Counselling Skills, ASIST), and microcredentials/single-subject enrolments. Accreditation is held from APAC, ACA, TEQSA (PRV14003), CRICOS (03530E), RTO (45267), and the Psychology Board of Australia, creating a regulated pathway from study through to supervised registration as a psychologist.

CMI runs a vertically integrated model in which the teaching arm is supported by an on-the-ground clinical footprint: four professional psychology and counselling clinics in Hawthorn East, Dandenong, North Melbourne, and Melbourne CBD, plus a free Community Clinic that delivers approximately 9,000 low-cost counselling sessions per year. The clinical infrastructure doubles as a placement environment for students and a fee-for-service revenue line accepting Medicare and private health fund rebates.

Revenue is generated from five streams: tuition and course fees (domestic and international, with VTAC handling domestic undergraduate admissions and education agents handling international recruitment), clinical services, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care grants (most notably the renewed three-year G-PIP grant supporting up to 600 internships nationally and 1,000 supervisor training places), donations supporting scholarships and the Big Tent Project, and organizational training/EAP contracts. GTM is hybrid — direct-to-student sales via the online application portal and VTAC for undergraduates, event-driven sales for professional development, and a partnership channel for government-funded internship delivery. Technology is conventional education infrastructure (CANVAS LMS, Paradigm SIS, online clinical delivery) with no disclosed AI or proprietary platform differentiation.

Name

The Cairnmillar Institute

Legal name

The Cairnmillar Institute

Website

https://cairnmillar.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Cairnmillar Institute is a not-for-profit Australian higher education and clinical mental health provider founded in 1961, delivering accredited psychology and counselling degrees, VET programs, and professional development alongside fee-for-service and community clinics serving students, professionals, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education & Mental Health Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

Keywords

• Psychology education
• Mental health counselling
• Trauma-informed care
• Professional development training
• Vocational education counselling

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria Park

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Course Fees: Revenue from domestic and international student tuition across undergraduate, postgraduate, VET, and professional development programs. Fees vary by course level and program type.
2. Clinical Services Revenue: Fees from psychology and counselling clinic services including individual counselling, couples therapy, family therapy, and psychological assessments. Rebates available through Medicare and private health funds.
3. Government Grants and Funding: Federal government funding through the Department of Health and Aged Care for the Graduate Psychology Internship Program (G-PIP) supporting up to 600 internships nationally, and supervisor training programs providing 1000 training places.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations to support low-cost community clinic services, student scholarships, Indigenous scholarship endowments, and the Big Tent Project for child trauma programs.
5. Professional Development and Training: Revenue from workplace training, organizational consulting services, and professional development workshops offered to corporations and healthcare organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Cairnmillar Institute is a not-for-profit higher education and training organization that delivers accredited degree programs (undergraduate through PhD) in psychology and counselling, vocational education and training (VET) courses, and professional development workshops. It also operates professional psychology and counselling clinics including a free community clinic providing direct clinical services to individuals, couples, families, and organizations through EAP and consulting engagements.

Product overview

The Cairnmillar Institute is a not-for-profit higher education and training organization established in 1961, specializing in psychology, counselling, and mental health education. The organization operates as a unified platform offering accredited academic degree programs (undergraduate through PhD), vocational education and training (VET) courses, professional development workshops, and clinical services through its community clinics. The core product portfolio includes Bachelor and Master degrees in psychology and counselling, trauma-informed care qualifications, counselling and psychotherapy programs, and the G-PIP internship program. Supporting these are professional development offerings including Mental Health First Aid, Core Counselling Skills workshops, and micro-credential single-subject enrolments. The organization also provides direct clinical services through its community clinics offering psychology and counselling services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling APAC and ACA-accredited double major undergraduate degree providing an immersive learning experience in mental health, designed to get students workplace-ready in 3 years. Delivered on-campus and online to domestic and international students.
• Graduate Diploma in Trauma-Informed Care Advanced clinically focused postgraduate qualification preparing students to conduct trauma-informed assessment and formulation, integrating intergenerational, relational, and systemic models of trauma. Taught online over 2 years part-time.
• Graduate Psychology Internship Program (G-PIP) Federally funded internship pathway for provisional psychologists undertaking the 5+1 Internship registration route, expanded under federal grant to support up to 600 internships nationally.
• Training the Effective Supervisor Psychology Board of Australia-approved Supervisor Foundation Training course delivering all components required for registered psychologists to become supervisors. Includes Master Class refresher training.
• Diploma of Counselling Nationally recognised VET qualification equipping students with practical skills in communication, micro-counselling, and evidence-based therapies to support individuals through life's challenges.
• Psychology and Counselling Services Clinic Professional psychology and counselling clinic services including individual counselling, couples/relationship counselling, child & adolescent counselling, family therapy, group programs, and complex psychological assessments, offered across four Melbourne locations.
• Community Clinic (Free/Low-Cost Counselling) FREE community clinic providing no-referral-needed low-cost counselling services to underserved populations, delivering approximately 9,000 low-cost sessions per year.
• Core Counselling Skills Workshop Three-day introductory workshop combining foundational and intermediate programs, providing core counselling skills for building resilience and supporting self-awareness in others. Priced from $55 to $770 depending on ticket type.
• Mental Health First Aid Training Mental Health First Aid training program delivered as an in-person 4-hour face-to-face workshop plus 5-hour online component, with a separate refresher course, improving knowledge of mental illnesses, treatments, and first aid strategies.
• Microcredentials and Single Subject Enrolments Flexible study option allowing students to enrol in individual units from VET, undergraduate, and postgraduate courses without committing to a full degree, available as self-paced online learning or live interactive webinars.
• Organisational Consulting and EAP Support Workplace mental health training, organisational consulting, and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) support services delivered to corporate, healthcare, and government clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94.4% graduate employment rate (1.6 points above national average)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australian Psychological Society (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional body that assesses overseas psychology qualifications for international student admission. Required for international applicants to psychology programs at CMI. Partner in quality assurance for psychology education standards.
• PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional counselling body that assesses overseas counselling qualifications through VETASSESS for international student admission to counselling programs.
• Australian Psychological Association Council (APAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccrediting body for psychology education programs in Australia. CMI's Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling and other programs are APAC-accredited for both on-campus and online delivery.
• Australian Counselling Association (ACA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeak professional body for counselling in Australia that accredits CMI's counselling programs including the Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling.
• Psychology Board of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory board that approves CMI's supervisor training courses for registered psychologists. CMI offers Psychology Board of Australia-approved Supervisor Foundation Training and Master Class refresher training.
• TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational regulator for higher education in Australia. CMI is registered as TEQSA Provider No. PRV14003, ensuring quality standards for higher education delivery.
• The TorchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit organization providing art, cultural and arts industry support to First Nations people currently in or recently released from Victorian prisons. CMI features Torch artists' work on their website in support of reconciliation and cultural acknowledgment.
• VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdmissions body for Victorian universities and higher education providers. CMI processes undergraduate domestic applications through VTAC system for the Bachelor of Psychology and Counselling.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP): ACAP is a private non-university higher education provider specializing in psychology and counselling programs with campuses across Australia. It is the closest direct competitor to Cairnmillar in the niche of accredited non-university psychology and counselling education, offering similar APAC-accredited degree pathways.
• Ikon Institute of Australia: Ikon Institute is a private higher education provider offering accredited programs in counselling, psychotherapy, and creative arts therapies across Australian campuses. Direct peer offering overlapping postgraduate counselling training and clinical placement pathways comparable to Cairnmillar's portfolio.
• Jansen Newman Institute (JNI): Jansen Newman Institute is a private Australian higher education provider focused on counselling and psychotherapy programs with PACFA-aligned pathways to professional registration. Direct peer in the niche of postgraduate counselling and psychotherapy training serving similar learner profiles.
• Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC): AIPC is a private provider of counsellor education offering diploma and degree pathways in counselling, including distance and online delivery. Direct peer in professional counsellor training in Australia, competing for the same career-changer and upskilling student segments as Cairnmillar's Diploma of Counselling.

Broad incumbents

• Swinburne University of Technology: Swinburne is a major Australian public university with a substantial psychology department offering APAC-accredited undergraduate and postgraduate psychology programs. Broad incumbent competing for the same domestic and international student pool as Cairnmillar, with significantly larger scale and brand recognition.
• La Trobe University: La Trobe is a large Australian public university with extensive psychology and counselling programs including APAC-accredited pathways and a strong research profile. Broad incumbent with overlapping undergraduate and postgraduate psychology program offerings targeting similar student segments.
• Deakin University: Deakin is a major Australian public university with strong psychology, counselling, and health programs including well-established online delivery. Broad incumbent competing directly for both domestic and international psychology students through flexible online and hybrid formats.
• Australian Catholic University (ACU): ACU is a public university with multiple campuses offering APAC-accredited psychology programs and postgraduate counselling training with a values-based mission similar to Cairnmillar's. Broad incumbent with comparable program mix and similar appeal to mission-driven students.
• Monash University: Monash is one of Australia's largest Group of Eight universities with a comprehensive psychology, clinical psychology, and mental health research and teaching portfolio. Broad incumbent representing the upper bound of psychology education scale and competing for top-tier academic talent and research students.

Others

• Mental Health First Aid Australia: Mental Health First Aid Australia is the national licensor of the MHFA program and trains accredited instructors who deliver MHFA courses. Ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — CMI delivers MHFA training under their license, making them an enabling organization within the same mental health training ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/cairnmillar
• Facebookfacebook.com/cairnmillar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/cairnmillar-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/cairnmillarinstitute
• Xx.com/cairnmillar

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cairnmillar Institute