AIPC Alumni Interview – Karien Marshall
From Backstage to Breakthroughs: Karien Marshall’s Path to Becoming a Counsellor
“Balance isn’t something you find, it’s something you build.”
For South Australian counsellor and AIPC Diploma of Counselling graduate Karien Marshall, this quote is more than a guiding principle, it’s the hard-won truth behind a life that’s transitioned from fast-paced backstage chaos to calm, supportive conversations with clients seeking clarity. As the founder of Serenity Counselling, Karien brings warmth, resilience, and a deeply human perspective to her practice, qualities shaped by decades of diverse experiences and personal transformation.
From the Music Industry to Mental Health
Before her career in counselling, Karien’s world was anything but quiet. She began in the vibrant, high-stakes environment of the radio and music industry, where every day brought new challenges and adrenaline-fuelled logistics. But as fulfilling as that world was, it wasn’t her only passion.
“It was always difficult for me to decide whether to devote myself to running around backstage at concerts or counselling couples and supporting people.”
At just 16, a trusted adult had discouraged her from pursuing counselling, suggesting she was “too empathetic” to manage the emotional demands. That message stuck, for a while. Life unfolded with new priorities: a radio and music career, an admin career, motherhood, and raising a busy household of four children. But the counselling path never fully disappeared.
It was her husband who eventually nudged her forward.
“In 2019, he said, ‘I think you’ve put this off long enough. It’s time you started studying counselling.’ And that was it. I enrolled at AIPC.”
Choosing AIPC: Flexibility Meets Support
After researching her options, Karien was drawn to AIPC for its strong reputation and student support. The Diploma of Counselling offered everything she needed: flexibility, advanced study majors, and close alignment with the Australian Counselling Association.
“I loved being able to shape the learning around my life and evolve my working life while I studied. The support from AIPC staff, their approachable nature and willingness to chat and treat me like an individual left me feeling like I was supported without being micromanaged, and I honestly feel like that set me up for success.”
The ability to tailor study around her life gave Karien a real sense of autonomy. She could study late at night, early in the morning, or during quiet gaps in the day, all without compromising her responsibilities at home.
Relearning How to Learn
Despite being excited to start, the transition back into study was a challenge for Karien.
“When I first began studying, it was a real struggle to sit and read for long periods of time and retain anything useful. Coming from parenting small children for many years, I was unused to being able to focus for more than 20 minutes at a time. It just took practice to relearn to do this (along with a good helping of self-compassion).”
Karien also took onboard the lessons she’d learnt from early in the Diploma of Counselling course regarding learning types, and leveraged this information into doing her own research, complimenting the study guides with videos, podcasts and wider reading to grasp a deeper understanding of each concept.
She even initiated new systems at home with her family, to make managing the household more collaborative and enjoyable for all members. This gave rise to a program Karien is now developing for her family therapy clients called, “Managing Home Together”.
From Graduate to Private Practice Owner
After graduating in 2023, Karien launched Serenity Counselling, working with individuals, couples, and families across a range of mental health needs. From grief, loss and trauma, building self-awareness, enhancing relationships, and building a balanced life, her sessions are a safe space where clients can reflect, rebuild, and reconnect.
“Those moments when the client and I really collaborate and untangle a clear reason for why they might be blocked in life, or come up with a great path forward. I love having the opportunity to be allowed into their world and support them in finding their clarity.”
But like many private practitioners, Karien also encountered less glamorous hurdles, especially around marketing.
“Marketing still makes me nervous. Technology, social media… it can all feel overwhelming. But I remind myself: I can figure it out. And if I fail? I’ll learn. That mindset shift has been essential.”
Tips for Thriving Through Study and Beyond
Karien has developed clear strategies that helped her stay balanced during her studies, and now shape her counselling practice:
- Let tech carry your mental load: Use apps and calendars to offload the stress of planning and organisation.
- Progress over perfection: Don’t get stuck trying to prioritise the perfect task. Just start, momentum matters more.
- Find a supervisor early: Even during study, a trusted supervisor builds confidence and sharpens reflective practice.
- Protect your study time: Create clear boundaries. Treat study like a job. Start and finish at set times.
- Find a way to organise your notes that works for you: Tangible tools can ground your study process and provide a sense of completion, but working digitally can be more efficient. Whatever works for you, find it and stick to it.
Wellbeing Wisdom: Karien’s Self-Care Essentials
Karien’s approach to wellbeing is practical and grounded:
- Build your tribe: Stay connected to people who lift you up and help you laugh, my core friends that I call my “unicorn mums” are key to me keeping balance and have been one of the major driving forces in my success as a counsellor.
- Move your body, mindlessly: Don’t overthink exercise. Just start moving.
- Take the boring medicine: Some self-care (like health checks and exercise) isn’t fun, but it’s necessary.
- Live in alignment with your values: Clarify your personal values, find some exercises online and take the time to consider and define them. They’re the compass for decisions and boundaries.
- Create a mental ‘happy place’: Use imagination to regulate emotions and reset your nervous system in times of stress. By taking yourself to a place and time where you are happy, serene and wise, you can affect your brain chemistry in a very positive way, which positively affects your physical health too.
What’s Next?
For now, Karien is focused on growing her practice while nurturing her current client base. She’s passionate about helping young people and is preparing to become a Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer, she also plans to dive back into writing, developing counselling concepts that are important to her. She’s also looking forward to beginning group work as a service, so that she can help more members of the community.
A Word of wisdom from Karien
“You do need to be intentional about building the kind of life you want, the habits you form, and about how you treat the people around you. Rather than mostly leaving all that to instinct or reacting as things come, there’s a lot of power in knowing yourself and listening to your inner world, having strong resources in the form of your relationships with others, and being deliberate about balancing your life.”
About Karien Marshall
Karien Marshall is a qualified counsellor and the founder of Serenity Counselling, based in Ingle Farm, South Australia. She specialises in family and relationship therapy, emotional regulation, grief and trauma, and offers a calm, empathetic space for growth and healing. Karien is passionate about helping others live in alignment with their values and build lives of connection and balance.
