counseling
UK: ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ | US: ˈkaʊnsəlɪŋ
n. the process of providing professional guidance or advice, typically in psychological or emotional contexts.
vt. the act of giving such guidance (gerund/present participle of "counsel").
counseling = counsel<advise> + ing<noun/verb suffix>
- counsel: From Old French conseil (advice), derived from Latin consilium (deliberation, advice). The root con- (together) + -silium (related to salire, to leap/decide) implies collective decision-making.
- -ing: A Germanic suffix forming verbal nouns or present participles, indicating action or result.
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to Latin consilium, reflecting the idea of "joint deliberation." Over time, Old French softened it to conseil, and English adopted it as "counsel." The suffix -ing transforms it into a noun denoting the act or profession of advising, especially in modern therapeutic contexts.
She specializes in career counseling for young adults.
The school offers free counseling services to students.
He is counseling a client on stress management techniques.
Marriage counseling helped them resolve their conflicts.
The therapist emphasized the importance of active listening in counseling.