counseling

noun

coun·​sel·​ing ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)liŋ 

variants or counselling

: professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes

career counseling for high schoolers

counseling for drug addicts

Examples of counseling in a Sentence

She is receiving counseling to cope with the death of her husband.

The college offers career counseling.

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, the department licenses and regulates insurance companies operating in Arkansas, administers the state government's workers' compensation program, provides Medicare counseling to senior citizens, and investigates consumer complaints and insurance fraud. —Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025

Health care may include the use of hormones to delay puberty in adolescents, behavioral health counseling to support and promote the gender identity with which a person aligns, and hormone replacement therapy. —Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Patricia Krusell said her granddaughter has gained a stronger sense of self and her emotions through counseling at her school and her religious faith. —Tris Wykes, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025

The Hospice Care Center is being built next to Hosparus Health’s Harshaw Family Grief Counseling Center, which offers individual and group counseling. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see counsel entry 1

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing counseling

• genetic counseling
• marriage counseling

Medical Definition

counseling

noun

coun·​sel·​ing

: professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes