Difference Between Counselling and Guidance

What is the difference between guidance and counseling? Well, guidance works by an expert giving ready solutions to their clients. Counseling focuses on discussing and understanding the problem at hand. In counseling, an individual is given the right support and empowerment to make the right decisions concerning the issue at hand. This takes place in one-on-one counseling sessions. In this post, you get to know more about the differences and so much more.

Difference Between Counselling and Guidance

So, what is the difference between counselling and guidance? Guidance is advice that is given whereas counselling allows for a person to express their emotions, fears and problems to the counselor.

What is Guidance?

Guidance is advice given to an individual concerning matters such as career. An expert in the field in question, say career choices, advises individuals on how to go about everything. Guidance aims at making people know the pros and cons of their decisions. It enlightens individuals on how to make the right choices. The experts make individuals know that choices have consequences, especially in the future.

Guidance is the approach used to help learners choose their courses or career paths wisely. It aims at helping the person develop themselves for their future. It serves individuals with ready solutions.

What is counseling?

In counseling, a client discusses freely with the counselor or therapist. They express their emotions, fears, and problems to the counselor. The counselor then helps them deal with their problems and other reasons people go to see a therapist. The primary purpose of counseling is to have an individual open up so that they can get the help they need.

The discussion between the client and counselor is often in a confidential environment.

Counseling digs into the root of the problems before identifying potential solutions. The counselor works to help the client view life from a positive viewpoint.

The Differences Between Guidance and Counseling

The differences between guidance and counseling are as discussed below:

1. Guidance is preventive, while counseling is curative. You may seek guidance before choosing careers, but you seek counseling to save a problematic marriage.
2. Guidance helps an individual make the best choices, while counseling helps them change their perspective. Guidance gives clients ready answers, while counseling helps them come up with their well-informed solutions.
3. Guidance uses an external approach to tackle the issue at hand while counseling uses an in-depth approach to establish the root causes of the problem before tackling it.
4. Guidance is the best approach for tackling educational and career problems while counseling is best employed in tackling socio-psychological and other personal problems.
5. Guidance is provided by an expert in the field at hand or anybody superior. It does not require professional training. Counseling is given by people who have been trained professionally to handle psychological problems.
6. Guidance provides ready answers and decisions for clients while counseling empowers individuals to create the most appropriate solutions to tackle an issue.
7. In guidance, confidentiality is not a guarantee. It can be conducted for an individual or a group. In counseling, you are guaranteed confidentiality since the sessions are always one to one.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the difference between counselling and guidance is clear. Both guidance and counseling aim at solving problems. However, guidance’s main aim is giving a solution, while counseling focuses on finding problems, working on them before finding a solution through numerous methods such as therapy, psychotherapy and more.