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The professional institution-based perspective of counselling
By the late 1950s the importance of making available professional counselling to adult learners in organizations, agencies and institutions providing adult and continuing education was being stressed in the literature (Brunner et al. 1959 pp. 129. 136). Definitions of counselling at this time typically conformed quite closely to the standard dictionary definition of the term. According to the Webbster's Dictionary counselling is professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods, especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. Moreover, a counsellor is an adviser, who makes recommendations regarding decisions and provides information.

A decade later, Langdon (1969 pp. 23-62), in describing counselling and guidance services provided by educational institutions for adult learners, stressed the importance of the professional preparation of such counsellors. According to Langdon, professional counsellors in adult education programs should have a master's degree in counselling and guidance from an accredited college or university. Their academic background should include work in such areas as individual inventory techniques, information services, counselling theory, group guidance and adult education. Such professionally trained counsellors typically are expected to provide counselling, testing, information, placement, referral, follow-up, and/or record-keeping services for adult learners in the institutions in which they are employed.

Langdon also observed that few programs were preparing counsellors specifically to provide counselling and guidance services in adult education programs and anticipated that the time was fast approaching when many such programs would be offered. A shift in emphasis during the 1970s away from a professional, institution-based perspective to a more open-counselling function perspective may well have curtailed the development of graduate programs to prepare professional, institution-based counsellors of adult learners and the widespread emergence of professionally staffed, institution-based counselling programs for adult learners. Persons familiar with counselling in adult education in such countries as India, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Egypt and Barbados indicated (Farmer et al 1977) that little or no professional, institution-based counselling was available for adult learners. Some indicated that there was a need to develop such services. Others indicated that needed counselling and information services tended to be provided informally or through other means.