People don't change: they grow. People don't need fixing: they need compassion. People don't need treatment: they need dialogue. Carl Jung said the purpose of therapy is not perfection but wholeness. The purpose of counseling is certainly not to be normal or average or just to fit in; which is the assumption behind the DSM which is the basis for all the labels and diagnosis (and money) in the field. Counseling and therapy can include but should never be reduced to the medical only model.

Like any animal in an ecosystem you are embedded in relationships with your lover, your children, your family, your tribe or community, your culture, Earth, and Spirit. Your body, mind, emotions soul and ego are the parts of the psyche that relate to each other and that you bring together into wholeness. If life is a journey then the purpose of counseling is mainly to orient (to know where you are within the natural world and culture) and then to navigate toward your goals (to move within the field of the natural and cultural world toward becoming whole). This means the purpose of the therapist is to bring knowledge of the individual and human psyche and knowledge of the natural and cultural territory you are navigating. The therapist should have really good maps (not The Map, but a multitude of useful maps). The other role of the therapist is to accompany you on your journey as a fellow, but experienced traveler.