Concepts of

Guidance and
Counseling: Meaning
and their differences

GUIDANCE
Process of helping people make important choices that affect
their lives, such as choosing a preferred life-style.
to direct, to point out, to show the path
showing or pointing the way to be followed
the process of assisting the individual to choose, to prepare, to
enter upon and progress in course of action pertaining to the
educational, vocational, recreational and community services.
a process of helping individuals through their own efforts to
discover and develop their potentialities both for personal
happiness and social usefulness.

GUIDANCE is the process of helping an

individual to gain self-understanding,
self direction, and to adjust maximally to
the environment (Biswalo, 1996).
This help is designed to assist people in
deciding where they want to go, what
they want to do, how to get to their
destination, and how to solve problems
arising in their life

Guidance as a concept as well as a

process
As a concept guidance is concerned with the
optimal development of the individual.

As a process guidance helps the individual in self

understanding and in self-direction .

PSYCHOTHERAPY
traditionally focuses on serious problems associated
with intrapsychic, internal and personal issues and
conflicts.
it emphasize the following issues:
The past more than the present
Insight more than change
The detachment of the therapist
The therapists role as an expert

COUNSELING
Counseling is a mutual relationship between a counselor
who is a professionally trained , and a client who is a
consumer of counselling services.
Counseling is a professional relationship between a
counselor who is professionally trained and a client
(counselee) who is seeking help to resolve a problem.
(Okech and Ngumba 1991)
Counselling is a face-face relationship between a client
and a counsellor in a confidential setting.

Counseling is a dynamic and

purposeful relationship between
two people who approach a
mutually defined problem, with
mutual consideration of each other
to the end that the younger or less
mature or more troubled of the two
is aided to a self determined
resolution to his problem

Counselling constitutes three activities like:

I - Informing
A- Advising
C - Counseling

Informing

Here the role of the

counselor is to give
appropriate and correct
information to the
clients.

Advising

The counselor suggests

appropriate courses of
action. Here the counselor
offers
several options and
recommends one
according to your aim or
interest

Counseling

The counselor helps the

students to clarify his
needs, feelings or
motivations so
that he can make the
appropriate decision for
himself.

Initial structure
established

Develop rapport

Exploration of
self, perceptual
field and
behaviors

Problem
identification

Possible assessment and

acquisition of
environmental input, such
as information assimilation

Plan of action

Follow up and possible

development of additional
strategies

Problem solving

Decision making

termination

CHARACTERISTICS OF
COUNSELLING
Counseling takes place in the confidential environment
Counseling is a two way process.
Counseling is the private relationship
o There is a mutual relationship between the two individuals. mutual respect
between the two

Counseling is a professional relationship i.e. one of the two

must be trained to assist the other
Counseling does not involve giving advice
Counseling is non-hierarchical relationship

PSYCHOTHERAPY

COUNSELING

Long term relationship

Short term relationship

Inpatient and outpatient

Outpatient setting

Deep seated issue

Mild issues

Basic Principles
of Guidance and
Counselling

Principles of Guidance

Holistic
development
of individual

Recogniti
on of
individual
difference
s and
dignity

Guidance is
Concerned With
Individual
Behavioral
Processes

Guidance
Relies on
Cooperation,
Not on
Compulsion
(Force).

Guidance is
a
Continuous
and a
Sequential
Educational
Process

Principles of Counseling

Human
Beings
are
Basically
SelfDetermini
ng
Creatures

A Client Should Move

Towards a Greater Level of
Self-Acceptance and Self
Understanding

A Client
Should
Develop a
Greater
Level of
Honesty in
Respect to
Himself

Objective
s Should
be Based
on the
Clients
Need and
Not the
Counselo
rs

Similarities of Guidance and

Counselling
Both are helping services

Both aim at solving problems

Both are principled activities

Differences between Guidance

and Counselling

Guidance

Counseling

It is a continuous Process (a lifelong process) from cradle to

death through early childhood,
adolescence, adulthood, and
even in old age. Guidance begins
at home goes on to school and
into the society. (Parents
Teachers Community)

Not necessarily continuous

process

Involves giving advice and

direction

Dont involve advice and

direction

Can be done in public or

confidential settings

Done in confidential settings

Voluntary or Involuntary Process

Voluntary Process. Relies on

Cooperation, Not on Compulsion
(Force)

Guidance

Counseling

It is both generalized and

specialized service. Generalized
service because everyoneteachers, tutors, advisers, deans,
parents- play part in the
programme. A service meant for
everyone.

Specialized service

It is a specialized service because

qualified personnel such as
counselors, psychiatrists,
psychologists join hands to help the
individual to get out of his/her
problem
Have ready-made solutions.

No ready-made solutions. The client

knows what is best for him and the
counselor is the catalyst in the
process of growth

Guidance

Counseling

It is broader than Counseling. It is It is a specified service.

a generic term which embraces
counselling, information services,
appraisal services etc
Guidance is a proactive service
or preventive services

Counseling is a reactive service.

It assumes that the problems
already exist

Circumstances that may dictate

the counselor to breach
confidentiality

It is unethical to reveal
clients information except
in certain situations where
the counselor can be
forced to breach
confidentiality.

Circumstances that dictate the counselor

to breach confidential information about
the client may include:
On the clients consent
When the clients intention may cause/result harm to self or others

When the clients intention may endanger the life of the

society
When the client needs hospitalization

When the law requires doing so. When the client has
committed crime e.g. raping, or when the client under 16 years
presenting to you a case of rape (because it is illegal action).

Pioneers of Counselling

Their work was built on the idea of moral

instruction, (on being good and doing right) as well
as dealing intrapersonal and interpersonal
relations

Frank Parsons
Jesse B. Davis

teachers and
social reformer

Clifford

Beers
focus was on helping children and young adults to
learn about themselves and others, and
the world of work

highly recognized individual in

vocational counselling.

the father of Guidance

career decision making and counselling is

widely accepted

FRANK PARSONS (18541908)

introduced the term vocational guidance

broad scholar, a persuasive writer, a tireless

activist and a great intellectual

Frank Parsons Steps for Choosing

a Career
1. The person should have a clear understanding
of his or her aptitudes, abilities, interests
and limitations (Self-Assessment).
2. The person should be aware of available job
opportunities, the requirements and demands
of the work, the compensations given and
prospects of the job (Study of Options)
3. To match or establish the relationship between
these two bodies of information i.e. the
abilities of the person and characteristics of the job
(Careful Reasoning)

personal traits such as

abilities and personality

job characteristics such as wages, requirements,

prospects, etc.

Trait-Factor Theory

JESSE B. DAVIS

high school
principal

instituted
guidance
programme in
high school

Guidance and counselling services were

introduced in America during the industrial
revolution,
a period of rapid industrial growth, social protests,
social reforms and utopian idealism

basic guidance and counselling

services
information

placement
research

orientation/ mentoring

career
development

educational guidance and responsive

counselling

appraisal

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF

GUIDANCE
To help students know themselves better
To give students information that will help them to
succeed in life
To assist students in planning for educational and
vocational choices
To help students so that they can solve their problems
To encourage students develop special abilities and
right attitudes
To establish mutual understanding between teachers
and students

Guidance is needed wherever

there are problems

Self understanding and self direction: Guidance

helps in understanding ones strength, limitations
and other resources. Guidance helps individual to
develop ability to solve problems and take
decisions.

Optimum development of
individual

Solving different problem of the

individual

Academic growth and

development

Vocational maturity, vocational choices and

vocational adjustments Social personal
adjustment

Better family life

Good citizenship

For conservation and proper

utilization of human resources

For national development