ABSTRACT
Counselling and guidance clearly share aims of enhancing selfunderstanding and communicating appropriate options for the next phase in a person’s life. The differences between them are largely those of function and can perhaps be understood through the use of an analogy. The relationship between counselling and guidance is rather like that between a navigator and a pilot, who both have an important role to play in a ship’s voyage. The navigator’s job is to ensure that the ship does not get lost in the high seas, but keeps heading in the right direction for its home port. When the ship approaches the harbour, however, it is the pilot who takes over to steer it safely into dock. Both of these roles are vital, but they must happen in the proper sequence. The captain will not be receptive to detailed landing instructions while the ship is still being buffeted by gales in mid-Atlantic, but in the later stages of the voyage pays close attention to the pilot’s detailed knowledge of the sand bars and currents around the harbour.
