Why Counselling is Different from Advice-Giving

One of the comments I get the most about psychology and the possible careers I can have is that counseling is like advice-giving, which is something anyone can do so how will I get clients? Honestly, I do appreciate the concern for my future, but in my eyes, there should be very fundamental differences between them. In fact, this is an area of debate within the psychology community, as some counselors give advice and some believe it is wrong to do so. However, this form of advice goes against the nature of therapy, a practice that is meant to empower clients with the cognitive and emotional skills to make good decisions without someone explicitly telling them what to do.

Advice can be given by anyone to a problem that is presented before them; a person can go to their parents, siblings, or friends and ask them "I have lost my job. What should I do?" The advice they would receive is various solutions (usually derived from the advice-giving person's own experiences in a similar situation) that very specifically deal with that singular problem. A counselor will lay out the concrete options that their client has in a situation they face, but the final decision about which route to take is up to the client. After the decision is made, the therapist can help plan and offer opinions as such, but never for major decisions. At most, counselors can caution against certain choices the client may be considering or saying things like "Are you sure this would be wise?". The point is to help the client reach a well-thought decision to achieve their goal.

Some people have expressed that the lack of advice may feel like the therapist is not giving them enough feedback and guidance, and therefore not fulfilling their role. Technically, the kind of therapy and guidance a client wants is discussed before a therapeutic alliance is established between therapist and client. So if an individual wants appropriate and helpful forms of advice then this should be directly communicated in the consultation phase so that the counselor is aware of their needs. Some therapists will not give any form of advice, even if clients ask. In that case, you may refer to a different therapist whose techniques may be more helpful for you.

It must be understood that counseling, just like any other medical practice, has ethics and law involved. Many therapists prefer not giving direct advice for protective purposes, as there is a chance they could be sued if the advice doesn’t work. Fortunately, therapists carry liability insurance. Therapists are also governed ethically by the state in which they are licensed as well as the professional organization. It is still risky business as they may be protected professionally but a lawsuit could impact the public’s perception of their practice.

Advice-giving can also be the result of countertransference, the process of a therapist transferring emotions onto a client. This can negatively affect the quality of treatment and the therapeutic relationship if it involves misplaced feelings, including a therapist giving advice based on personal feelings rather than therapeutic insights. Furthermore, telling clients what to do can actually handicap them. The journey of therapy is meant to empower them with the ability to make good decisions for themselves with confidence, not make them dependent on the therapist.

Often times clients are so overwhelmed that they don’t know where to start, so therapists will take the initiative to encourage them to take steps that are based on their previous knowledge. It depends a lot on the nature of the advice, as it may be the offer of educating them on coping skills that can help. Even out of those skills, it is up to the client to pick and choose what they prefer.