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There are 3 levels of counselling that can be offered to students at the school level; with counselling done by trained teachers being one of them. Teachers with student counselling training, apart from doing their primary function, also possess the expertise to involve themselves with school counselling which covers advising students on social-behavioural conduct, emotional problems, vocational planning and many more. Most students nowadays suffer from several anxiety and behavioural disorders, reasons varying from immense academic pressure to fare better, to parental pressure, peer pressure and all other sorts of external issues. Counselling courses for teachers, though non-medical and non-psychiatric, may help the educators provide therapy for these children; even if students do not suffer from any disorders, counselling can help them build a strong foundation for a general "life skills training" so that they realise and develop their ‘personal resources’ and be prepared for the future. According to Psychologist Turlogh O'Concubhair, "Guidance in schools is that area of the schools’ provision that is specifically directed towards helping pupils realise their full potential in preparing for adult and working life."

Since children spend a major part of their day in school therefore, it automatically comes under the responsibility of the teachers to take up the responsibility to help and guide these students. Being able to perfectly balance every role of a teacher including counselling and guidance needs something more than just intuition and experience on the teacher’s part.  Here “the basic requirement of a teacher” then becomes receiving training on the same in the hope of making their counselling jobs easier and helping the students overcome their negative orientation created by various internal/external factors; without a proper training, teachers may feel ill-equipped to handle the various psychosocial problems that the students are facing in their lives.

Proper counselling and guidance will help the students reach their full potential in the long run and also prepare them mentally for the global competition. Most teachers today are required to perform the additional job of guiding the students (with varying degrees), apart from their usual teaching duties and responsibilities. Therefore, schools need to focus on creating a caring and inviting environment for the students to grow, develop and achieve success along with lifelong learning. The guidance and co-operation have been made an integral part of modern education in most nations, making it all the more important for teachers to receive formal training in ‘counselling’ so that they are well-aware of the problems that students face in their lives and be prepared to be able to manage and handle the trickiest of situations more effectively and improve the student’s overall learning process.

There are many situations when children find it difficult to discuss certain issues with their parents, yet they may crave to share it with someone they trust and who will be able to show them the right path that they need to follow. This is when the teacher as a guide comes into play. A teacher trained in counselling will know how to handle those trying circumstances and act as a friend and guide to the student.