What exactly does guidance and counseling in college cover?

I've heard many people say that guidance and counseling are important resources in college. They seem to help with a lot of things, but I'm not sure what 'everything' entails. Does anyone know more about this and can explain what they provide?

Guidance and counseling services at a college typically cover a broad range of areas to support students' academic success, personal growth, and overall well-being.

1. Academic Advising: They offer services to help students make educational decisions and stay on track toward graduation. This can include course selection, major declaration, study skills, time management techniques, and understanding academic policies and requirements.

2. Personal and Social Counseling: They often provide confidential counseling for personal or social issues that may be affecting a student's academic performance or well-being. This could include stress management, dealing with homesickness, adjustment to college life, and interpersonal relationship issues.

3. Career Counseling: This covers exploring careers, planning for internships and jobs, resume reviews, interview preparation, and graduate school application assistance. Some colleges might even offer personality assessments and career interest inventories to help students determine what careers may be a good fit for them.

4. Mental Health Services: Many counseling centers on campuses also offer mental health services, which can include individual therapy, group therapy, workshops for managing anxiety and depression, substance use education and prevention, and emergency psychiatric services.

5. Referral Services: If a student needs more specialized help that the college's counseling center can't provide, they can often help with referrals to local psychiatrists, therapists, or other mental health professionals, as well as resources for financial assistance, food pantries, and other specialized services.

Remember, the offerings can vary from school to school, and some colleges may have more robust services than others. It's always a good idea to explore the resources available at your particular institution so that you can take full advantage of them if need be.