Counselling in the Indian Context: Ancient Roots and Modern Needs

When Arjuna stood paralyzed on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, overwhelmed by doubt and despair, he turned to Krishna for guidance. This ancient dialogue, preserved in the Bhagavad Gita, represents one of the earliest documented counselling interactions in human history. Yet thousands of years later, professional counselling in India is still finding its footing, caught between ancient wisdom and modern challenges.

Understanding counselling vs. guidance in India 🔗

In India, the terms counselling and guidance are often used interchangeably, creating confusion about what each actually means. Guidance typically involves providing explicit information and direction. For instance, a career guidance session might inform students about different professional pathways, entrance exam requirements, or job market trends-all without deeply analyzing whether these options suit the individual’s personality or circumstances.

Counselling, on the other hand, operates differently. It’s a dynamic, facilitative process where the counsellor helps clients discover their own solutions to personal, educational, or vocational problems through a collaborative relationship. Rather than telling someone what to do, a counsellor helps them explore their thoughts, feelings, and options to reach their own informed decisions.

Key characteristics of the counselling process 🔗

Counselling in India is understood as a process-oriented interaction designed for individuals facing normal life challenges. Several core characteristics define this process. Confidentiality forms the foundation-what’s shared in the counselling room stays there, creating a safe space for honest exploration. The counsellor maintains a non-judgmental stance, accepting clients as they are without moral evaluation.

Genuine rapport between counsellor and client is essential. Unlike psychoanalysis, which emphasizes transference relationships, counselling focuses on warmth and empathy in the here-and-now relationship. The process centers on the client’s conscious motives and current concerns rather than deep unconscious exploration.

Multiple perspectives on what counselling means 🔗

Different scholars have emphasized various aspects of counselling. Some definitions highlight social welfare functions, others stress medical orientation, while still others focus on student personnel work. Despite these varied emphases, common threads emerge: helping people make informed choices, facilitating learning and personal growth, and enabling personality development. Modern definitions describe counselling as a professional relationship aimed at problem resolution-a partnership where both counsellor and client actively work toward positive change.

The origin of counselling in India: from Krishna to university departments 🔗

The counselling tradition in India stretches back millennia. Ancient Indian society viewed guidance as a sacred duty of parents, teachers, and elders-captured in the adage “Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam” (Mother, Father, Teacher, God). This hierarchy reminded young people who should guide them at different life stages.

The most widely acknowledged counselling situation in ancient texts is the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. When Arjuna faced his kinsmen on the battlefield, he experienced what we might today call an acute anxiety attack-his limbs failed, his mouth dried, his body trembled, and he felt unable to act. In response to Arjuna’s psychological distress, Krishna engaged him in a therapeutic dialogue addressing his fears, doubts, and moral confusion. Whether this ancient exchange contained all the characteristics of modern counselling remains a subject of scholarly debate, but it established a cultural precedent for seeking guidance during crisis.

Institutional beginnings in the 20th century 🔗

Modern institutional counselling in India began with the establishment of psychology departments at universities. The first chair in psychology was endowed at Mysore University, shortly followed by Calcutta University setting up a psychology department. In Calcutta, the guidance movement became associated with David Hare Training College.

A significant milestone came in 1941 when Batliboy and Mukherjee started the Batliboy Vocational Guidance Bureau in Bombay-India’s first private vocational guidance agency. This marked the beginning of formalized counselling services beyond academic institutions.

Recognition and decline: the waxing and waning of interest 🔗

Counselling was recognized as an important service in India as early as 1938 when the Acharya Narendra Dev committee underlined its importance in education. The committee viewed guidance and counselling as vital emerging forces for the education system. This early recognition suggested a promising future for the field.

However, enthusiasm proved cyclical. The vigor of the 1930s and 1940s wasn’t sustained into the 1980s and 1990s, when interest in guidance and counselling diminished significantly. The field struggled to maintain momentum despite its earlier institutional recognition.

The evolution and current state of counselling services 🔗

Recent decades have seen a resurgence in recognizing counselling’s importance. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has acknowledged counselling as essential for student development and well-being. In a significant policy move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) mandated that schools employ counsellors to address students’ academic, emotional, and career development needs.

The CBSE mandate recognizes the complexities within India’s education system and the diverse learning and psychosocial needs of children during their formative years. Schools are expected to provide academic guidance, career and vocational counselling, help with peer issues, support for psychosocial problems, and work collaboratively with parents and teachers. However, a 2014 survey revealed that many private schools were violating these guidelines-the majority still lacked full-time student counsellors.

Persistent challenges facing the profession 🔗

Despite government recognition, counselling in India faces significant challenges. Perhaps the most critical is the lack of licensing and regulation. India has no governing authority for counselling, and practitioners don’t need a license to practice. While RCI certification is required for administering psychological tests, it’s not mandatory for therapy and counselling. This absence of oversight creates risks-unqualified individuals can claim to be counsellors, potentially providing harmful treatment to vulnerable clients.

The poorly articulated scope of counselling contributes to confusion. Many people still don’t understand the difference between guidance and counselling, or between counselling and clinical psychology. Referrals to counsellors cover an enormous range-from severe psychotic problems to parenting concerns, from marital discord to career development, from substance abuse to questions about sexual orientation. This breadth makes it difficult to define clear professional boundaries.

Limited cultural adaptation presents another challenge. Most counselling training curricula in India are based on Western approaches and theories. These Western frameworks have been criticized as not being culturally relevant to the Indian context. A culturally valid counselling psychology-one that integrates India’s rich traditional wisdom with empirically sound modern practices-remains an ongoing development.

The path forward: integrating tradition with modernity 🔗

India stands at a unique crossroads in counselling development. On one hand, it has ancient traditions of guidance embedded in texts like the Bhagavad Gita and healing practices like Ayurveda and yoga. On the other hand, it’s rapidly modernizing, with increased awareness of mental health needs and growing demand for professional services.

The future of counselling in India likely lies in thoughtfully integrating these streams-honoring traditional wisdom while establishing professional standards, expanding access while ensuring quality, and creating culturally sensitive approaches that serve India’s diverse population. With over 1.4 billion people and insufficient trained professionals, the need has never been greater. The question is whether India can build a counselling profession that’s both professionally rigorous and culturally resonant.

What do you think? How can India better balance its rich traditions of guidance with the need for professionally regulated counselling services? What role should ancient wisdom play in modern therapeutic practice?

References

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341335088_Counselling_in_an_Ancient_Hindu_text_A_Case_for_CBT_in_the_Sri_Madbhagavad_Gita_Focusing_on_Arjuna's_Distress
2. https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/18.01.344.20241202.pdf
3. https://childrenfirstindia.com/role-of-the-school-counsellor/
4. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/World_Literature/Compact_Anthology_of_World_Literature_(Getty_and_Kwon)/03:_India/3.01:_The_Bhagavad_Gita
5. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/12-history-of-counselingpptx/265969574
6. https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/government/list-of-government-organisations-that-provide-students-counselling-in-india
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229878386_Counselling_Psychology_in_India_At_the_Confluence_of_Two_Traditions