Key Differences Between Guidance and Counseling

Counseling is a more inward analysis, whereas guidance is much more external
· Counseling is in-depth, narrowing down the problem until the client understands his/her own problem, but guidance is broader and comprehensive.

· Counseling is mostly on personal and social issues, whereas guidance is generally education and career related
· Focus on counseling is not on the solution but on understanding the problem as it allows the counselor to bring about emotional change or change in feeling
· But in guidance the focus is on finding a solution, which may bring a change in attitude of the client.
Both counseling and guidance can help individuals. However, the contribution of both the counselor and client is vital towards the success of the process. Most problems can be solved with the right amount of dedication, contemplation and understandin

Key Differences Between Guidance and Counseling

The significant differences between guidance and counseling are given in the following points:

1.      Advice or a relevant piece of information given by a superior, to resolve a problem or overcome from difficulty, is known as guidance. Counseling refers to a professional advice given by a counselor to an individual to help him in overcoming from personal or psychological problems.

2.      Guidance is preventive in nature, whereas counseling tends to be healing, curative or remedial.

3.      Guidance assists the person in choosing the best alternative. But counseling, tends to change the perspective, to help him get the solution by himself or herself.

4.      Guidance is a comprehensive process; that has an external approach. On the other hand, counseling focuses on the in-depth and inward analysis of the problem, until client understands and overcome it completely.

5.      Guidance is taken on education and career related issues whereas counseling is taken when the problem is related to personal and socio-psychological issues.

6.      Guidance is given by a guide who can be any person superior or an expert in a particular field. As opposed to counseling, which is provided by counselors, who possess a high level of skill and undergone through professional training.

7.      Guidance can be open and so the level of privacy is less. Unlike counseling, wherein complete secrecy is maintained.

8.      Guidance can be given to an individual or group of individuals at a time. On the contrary, counseling is always one to one.

9.      In the guidance, the guide takes the decision for the client. In contrast to counseling, where the counselor empowers the client to take decisions on his own.

Guidance and Counseling both involve helping an individual in making choices about the different things that might confront and confuse him. They are totally different fields though and to help distinguish between the two, here are some of the things that are used to describe them:

Counseling
Counseling is a psychological specialty that deals with research and applied work in supervision, training, career development, prevention, and health. It focuses on a person’s strengths, assets, environmental interactions, educational background, career development and personality.

Counseling started as a result of WWII. Since then, it has been used by individuals, institutions, families, rehabilitation agencies and other organizations. It utilizes psychological methods in the collection of case history data through personal interview, testing and aptitude.

It helps clients to choose the best solution to a problem, through the process of listening and questioning. It is important to note that counseling is not a giving of opinion and it is based on a wellness model rather than a medical one.



A counselor’s basic concern should go beyond treating dysfunction or pathology. It should deal with a client’s self awareness which should help him towards personal growth and wellness.

Guidance
Guidance is defined as the act of guiding, giving leadership, supervision, direction or professional guidance for future actions. It is usually provided to students in preparation for a vocation.

Guidance helps a person discover and develop his psychological, vocational and educational potential in order to be happier and more useful in society. Each person is responsible for his decisions and actions, but when he is young he will need someone more mature and experienced to guide him through life and towards making the right decisions for himself.

Like counseling, it assists clients towards a decision or an appropriate course of action. It may be used as therapeutic aid in the treatment of minor emotional disturbances and disorders.

Summary

1. Counseling is a psychological field that deals with research and applied work to provide training and supervision, while Guidance is a psychological field that deals with assisting clients in their need to choose the right course of action.
2. While both are being used in organizations and by individuals, counseling has a broader reach, while Guidance is usually being used in schools to guide students towards proper actions.
3. Both can help in the treatment and rehabilitation of a person suffering from a mental illness or disorder, but counseling is more extensive than guidance.
4. Counseling encompasses several other fields of psychology, while Guidance tends to be more specific.