Counseling is distinguished from other mental health disciplines by both its history and its emphasis. Other helping professions such as psychiatry and clinical psychology concentrate primarily on the treatment of severe emotional disorders. Social work deals basically with the social and legal aspects of assisting others in need. In contrast, counseling focuses on development and the prevention of serious mental health problems through education and short-term treatment. It emphasizes growth as well as remediation. Counselors work with persons, groups, families and systems who are experiencing situational and long-term problems. Counseling’s emphasis on development, prevention, and treatment make it attractive to those seeking healthy life-stage transitions and productive lives (Cole & Sarnoff, 1980; Romano, 1992).

Counseling has not always been such an encompassing and respected profession. It has evolved over the years. Nevertheless, many people, unaware of its evolution, associate all counseling with schools or equate the word guidance with counseling. As a consequence, old ideas are mistaken for innovations. C.H. Patterson, a pioneer in counseling, once observed that some writers in counseling journals seem “ignorant of the history of the counseling profession…[and thus] go over the same ground covered in the publications of the 1950s and 1960s” (Goodyear & Watkins, 1983, p.594). A similar criticism could be made of the general public. Therefore, it is important to examine the history of counseling because a counselor who is informed about the evolution of the profession is more likely to make real contributions to the field.

Reference: Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession, Third Edition, Samuel T. Gladding, 1996.