Information About Guidance & Counseling in Psychology

When you have an argument with your significant other, you probably talk to your best friend or a family member about it for a number of reasons. You may want their advice, you may want sympathy, or you may want to see things from another view that is not your own. The concept of counseling has been around for a long time. It is based in the need of humans to seek out advice and help regarding their problems.

Characteristics

• Generally speaking, a counseling session takes place in a relaxed social setting. A person goes to a counselor with an everyday problem. The counselor is usually located in a relaxed office setting, not a hospital or clinic type setting. The person explains his goals for the counseling session as well as his problems and the counselor listens and gives him appropriate feedback.

Purpose

• The purpose of counseling is for people to work though their typical problems. Counselors give people guidance throughout the course of their problems. Counselors try to help people with conflicts between people, adjust to a new lifestyle, moving to a new place, cope with a disease like cancer, help people accomplish their near-term and long-term goals, and to gain a greater satisfaction from life. Counselors never tell a person what he should or should not do. The counselor is only there to help the person understand himself.

Types

• Counselors can be found everywhere. Many types of counselors specialize in a specific area. There are marriage counselors who counsel married couples and help them settle disputes and realize what is best form them as a couple. There are school counselors that help students adjust socially and academically. There is also group therapy where people work through their problems in small groups.

Counselors

• There are different levels of counselors. A counselor's education can range anywhere from a bachelor's degree in psychology to a master's to a doctorate in counseling. Obviously, a doctorate level counselor would be more expensive then a bachelor's level counselor, but any level counselor can be helpful to a person seeking counseling. A counselor at the doctorate level can have his own private practice where the lower level degrees cannot.

Counseling vs. Clinical Psychology

• Counseling is very commonly confused with clinical psychology. The biggest single difference is that counselors deal with everyday problems that the general population encounters. A clinician deals with people who suffer from extreme mental disorders such schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. A clinician works in a clinic or hospital setting; a counselor works in a more relaxed office or even home-like setting.