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
