Difference between Guidance and Counseling

Nov 30 -0001

Distinguish, differentiate, compare and explain what is the Difference between Guidance and Counseling. Comparison and Differences.

Guidance and Counselling both assist students in finding the best solutions to their problems in life but they do not carry the same meaning and cannot be used interchangeably. The table given below highlights the difference between Guidance and Counselling.

Differences between Guidance and Counseling

S.No.	Guidance	Counseling
1	Guidance means an advice or instruction on general problems, given by someone who is more experienced or qualified.	Counseling means professional advice give by a counselor based on personal or psychology related problems of the individuals.
2	The task of the guidance worker is not as serious as that of a counselor.	The task of the counselor is more serious than that of a guidance worker.
3	Has a broader scope such as educational guidance, career guidance, financial guidance, etc.	Counseling is in-depth and narrow. Essentially covers personal and psychological assistance.
4	Anyone who has good experience and knowledge can give effective guidance to others.	Counseling is done by a professional counselor with a recognized license to practice as a counselor.
5	May be given in groups.	Counseling takes place individually not in groups.
6	Face to face relation is not essential.	Face to face direct relation is essential.
7	Cordial and satisfying relationship is not needed.	Cordial and satisfying relationship is needed.

Examples

Example 1: A student may seek guidance before choosing careers, while seeking counselling to deal with emotional concerns

Example 2: If a student is having difficulty in studies, with guidance we can help the student by providing strategies to deal with the issue, while in counselling, the concerns of the students would be first explored in detail and the options would then be explored on how the student can herself/himself deal with the concerns.

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