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Differential definition of counselling
Many attempts have been made to differentiate counselling from psychotherapy and guidance. These attempts can be understood by examining three foci of psychological intervention: remediation, development, and prevention.

The primary goal of remediation is the correction of a psychological and/ or behavioural problem. Remediation would most likely be provided to individuals with debilitating problems such as a psychosis or a neurotic disorder. The primary goal of development is to improve the psychological functioning of the individual. Developmental programs are usually designed for those who are functioning relatively adequately but who wish to make changes to enrich their lives. The primary goal of prevention is to provide services that will avert the genesis of problems at some future time. Ideally, all individuals would receive preventative services at critical points in their lives, such as a change of employment status.

Psychotherapy, counselling and guidance can be differentiated by noting the relative emphasis on each of these foci of intervention. Psychotherapy emphasizes remediation with secondary emphasis on development and prevention. Psychotherapy is usually practised by clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. Psychiatrists, because of their training, also use chemotherapy, which is the administration of psychotropic drugs, to treat psychological dysfunction, the primary emphasis in counselling is development with secondary emphasis, on remediation and prevention, in guidance, the primary emphasis if prevention with secondary emphasis on development and remediation. Psychotherapy, counselling and guidance, however, have many aspects in common and their differentiation is not clear. Some noted authorities claim that there are no differences between psychotherapy and counselling (Patterson 1973).]