Brief History of Guidance and Counselling

Guidance and Counselling is the process of helping individuals to discover and develop their educational, vocational, and psychological potentialities and thereby to achieve an optimal level of personal happiness and social usefulness.

A Guidance Counsellor is a professional who works in schools or other educational institutions, providing academic, personal, and career advice to students. They help examine their students’ potential skills to build their self-esteem for success in their future target.

Historical background of Guidance and Counselling

a)Guidance and Counselling in form of vocational guidance was pioneered by a social and political reformer, Frank Parsons. 

b)In 1908 Frank Parsons, founded a Vocational Bureau in Boston. 

c) Frank Parsons is often known as the ‘Father of Vocational Guidance’.

d)Modern Guidance and Counselling began in the United States of America (USA) under Frank Parsons in 1908, and since then it has spread to various Countries and Continents.

Significance of Counselling in India

a)Counselling was recognised as an important service in India as early as 1938 .

b) Acharya Narendra Dev committee underlined the importance of counselling and guidance in education. 

c)The guidance and counselling were considered to be new and emerging forces that were vitally important to the Indian education system.