Counselling is the help you get when you talk, over time, with a trained person about a problem in your life — worry, grief, family trouble, exam stress. The person listens and helps you see a way through; they do not usually give you orders. Schools, hospitals, and charities offer it. In British spelling it has two l’s: counselling. American spelling is counseling, with one l. Though actually, people use the word loosely: a teacher “having a counselling chat” may only mean a kind talk, not real professional counselling. And it has nothing to do with a city council. If you mix counselling with councillor, you have put a talking-helper into a town meeting.