A school or guidance counsellor supports young people with the difficulties that affect them specifically at school: anxiety, low mood, friendship and bullying problems, family separation at home, bereavement, exam pressure, and decisions about what comes after school that can feel overwhelming at that age.
The advantage of being on site
Being based within the school itself makes support quick to reach and removes the wait that often comes with an external referral to a specialist service, which matters considerably for a young person in the middle of a difficulty that feels urgent to them even if it would not be classed as urgent clinically.
A title that covers a wide range
The role varies considerably between countries and between individual schools, and the title itself covers a genuinely wide range, from pastoral staff with limited formal training through to fully accredited therapists working within a school setting. It is worth asking directly what qualification a particular school counsellor holds, since that variation matters more here than the consistent title might suggest.