Guidance and counseling is a process of helping an individual become fully aware of his/ herself and the ways in which he is responding to the influence of his/her environment. Counseling is a generic term for any of professional counseling that treats dysfunction occurring within a group of related people. This term describes a preventive system of counseling that works to combat psychological impairment through the improvement and development of community support. A community is defined as a group of interacting individuals who share a commonality. This commonality can be anything from location of residence to career interest, but a community counselor will use this common characteristic to council groups of people.

Guidance and Counseling actually refers to directing, steering, advising, leading, piloting and controlling individuals towards actions, behaviours, decision and opinions that would be beneficial to them.

The community that individuals function within can have a significant influence on their identity and connection to others. A community counselor can work with groups of people experiencing an increased amount of psychological distress to help determine and address the source of the disturbance. Such interventions are used in communities which are poor and unsupported to improve mental health resources. Dysfunctional environments can lead individuals to develop social and psychological impairments. Vulnerable and marginalized populations such as children, minorities, or individuals of a low socioeconomic status are disproportionately at risk of experiencing psychological impairments. Through the holistic treatment of a community, counselors can help alleviate mental health issues on a large scale. Community counseling provides leadership for creating better access to mental health services. Through the analysis of individual interviews, Jon Boller and Burton Nolan revealed that many students report a need and desire for community counseling programs. To meet these needs, community counseling continues to expand its reach.

The Great Depression and World War II created a need for jobs and counseling services in the United States. This need was met with the expansion of career, school, and personal counseling services. At the same time, experts in the field began to emphasize the importance of preventive counseling in combating the need for remedial counseling. In 1965, the United States government allocated federal funds to the training of school counselors, a type of community based counseling. At the start of the 1970s, the more general idea of community counseling was developed to meet the increasing needs of the public. The discipline of community counseling grew slowly at first due to its lack of clear definition. However, in 1993, community counseling received recognition as a counseling specialization from the governing council of the American Counseling Association (ACA). This recognition allowed the Council for Accreditation of Counseling Relation Education (CACREP) to develop standards for the training of community counselors. With recognition and accreditation, community counseling expanded in popularity.

Community counselors can work in a variety of settings such as private practice, mental health centers, rehabilitation facilities, or prisons. Regardless of the setting, a community counselor's job is to work with individuals to develop appropriate mental processing and provide preventive services to the community. Preventive efforts can be made by providing access to community-based organizations or educational programs. Community counselors need to be strong leaders who can make these direct and indirect services available for their clients.

The Respectful Model is a holistic approach of understanding a community and its associated issues. This form of counseling can be done individually or in groups across all ages and genders. The model is based on a ten-letter acronym designed to highlights factors that influence community dynamic. Counselors are expected to respect clients regardless of their religious affiliation, economic status, sexual orientation, psychological health, ethnicity, developmental differences, trauma, family, physical appearance, or genealogy. This inclusive and holistic approach to community counseling allows for an appreciation of environmental influence on mental health.

Annabel Manzanilla-Manalo and Fermin Manalo developed a community-based counseling approach to help marginalized groups overcome mental health problems that result from inequality and discrimination. This approach works to integrate community psychology within the context of a social environment. The model values inclusivity, social justice, solidarity, and equality. Community counselors work to facilitate healthy development and establish a system that ensures the delivery of mental health services to the community. This model is focused on empowerment of individuals with the goal of relieving stigma or shame these individuals might feel because of their marginalized identity. This is achieved through support of group formation, enhancement of local resources, research, advocacy, and facilitation of collective action.

Children can suffer developmental and social delays because of untreated mental health issues. Analysis of archival data from 364 children who visited a community counseling clinic revealed that treatment could significantly reduce internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems for children. However, the analysis also found that over half of the children who began treatment did not complete the full course of the available community counseling services. High dropout rates are often considered a significant barrier to providing effective community counseling.