The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) offers guidance counsellors new ways to enrich their practice and better serve students and clients. As Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, has noted, “Technology can amplify great teaching, but great technology cannot replace poor teaching.” (Schleicher, 2015). This principle applies equally to counselling: AI tools can help counsellors streamline routine tasks, generate tailored materials, and maintain more meaningful human interactions.
This guide provides an overview of four prominent AI applications—ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Gamma.app, and MagicSchool.io—alongside practical examples and cost considerations, grounded in the three core areas of guidance counselling: personal, vocational, and educational support.
Gerry Reilly, Guidance Counsellor at St. Macartan's College, Monaghan and National Secretary IGC
Overview and Capabilities
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a versatile language model capable of generating human-like text based on user prompts. It can understand context, provide detailed responses, and assist in tasks such as brainstorming, report-writing, and quick content generation. Its key strengths for guidance counsellors include:
- Personalized feedback on students’ or clients’ queries.
- Drafting emails and guidance resources rapidly.
- Generating ideas for counselling strategies or workshop themes.
Practical Applications
- Personal Support
- Mental Health Check-Ins: While not a substitute for a mental health professional, ChatGPT can be used to draft initial support resources and conversation prompts for students experiencing stress or anxiety.
- Self-Reflection Exercises: Counsellors can co-create journaling prompts for clients to explore thoughts and emotions in a structured way.
- Vocational Support
- Career Exploration: ChatGPT can generate an overview of various career paths related to specific interests, helping counsellors quickly prepare materials for clients seeking direction.
- Resume and Cover Letter Writing: By providing sample content and suggestions, ChatGPT can expedite the resume-review process.
- Educational Support
- Study Guides: Counsellors can prompt ChatGPT to create succinct study outlines or summaries for students preparing for standardized tests or exams.
- Learning Strategies: Generate personalized tips for time management, goal setting, or overcoming procrastination.
Cost Structure
Free Version: Basic usage is free; however, peak demand times may limit access.
ChatGPT Plus: USD $20/month, offering faster response times, priority access during peak hours, and early access to new features.
Enterprise Options: Pricing is customised for institutional or large-scale usage.
“AI has the potential to tackle some of the biggest challenges in education today, innovate teaching and learning practices, and ultimately accelerate the progress towards SDG 4.”
– UNESCO (2019)
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Overview and Capabilities
NotebookLM (by Google) is designed as an AI-powered note-taking and research companion. It uses language models to summarise and interpret user-provided material, helping counsellors organise information efficiently. Key features include:
- Automated summarization of meeting notes, client records, or articles.
- Contextual linking of ideas, references, and keywords for quick retrieval.
- Real-time collaboration with colleagues or co-counsellors.
Practical Applications
- Personal Support
- Case Note Summaries: Quickly summarize client session notes, identifying key issues and action points.
- Collation of Resources: Compile and categorize articles or self-help materials to share with clients.
- Vocational Support
- Labor Market Trends: Using NotebookLM to summarize labor statistics or sector-specific reports helps counsellors keep up-to-date with emerging careers.
- Client File Management: Efficiently link client interests, aptitudes, and potential career paths in one centralized workspace.
- Educational Support
- Course and Curriculum Overviews: Summarize essential course information, prerequisites, and learning outcomes for students deciding on class selections.
- Research Assistance: Quickly extract salient points from educational research or policy documents to inform counselling practices.
Cost Structure
Future Pricing: Google may introduce tiered subscription plans once fully launched, but specific details remain forthcoming.
Beta Access: NotebookLM is currently offered in a limited-access beta, often at no cost to participants.
Overview and Capabilities
Gamma.app is an AI-powered platform for creating engaging visual presentations, documents, and pitches. By automating design and layout, it empowers users to focus on content rather than formatting. Its features include:
- Smart templates for professional-quality presentations.
- AI-generated visuals and layout suggestions.
- Collaboration tools to work with colleagues in real time.
Practical Applications
- Personal Support
- Visualising Emotional Skills: Create interactive slides or infographics to discuss emotional intelligence or coping strategies with groups or individual clients.
- Workshops & Seminars: Deliver visually appealing workshop sessions on mental health, stress management, and resilience.
- Vocational Support
- Career Fairs & Presentations: Gamma.app can help produce polished slides for career day events, detailing sector-specific opportunities and pathways.
- Portfolio Showcases: Assist students in designing visually compelling personal portfolios to share with potential employers.
- Educational Support
- Study Skills Webinars: Build clear, concise slides on topics like note-taking methods, exam preparation, or academic goal-setting.
- Parent-Teacher Nights: Generate quick, aesthetically pleasing presentations to update stakeholders on student progress or academic initiatives.
Cost Structure
- Free Plan: Basic features with limited templates and exports.
- Pro Plan: Ranging around USD $9–$12/month (depending on billing cycle), offering premium templates, advanced design tools, and increased storage.
“Effective visual communication can significantly enhance understanding and engagement, and AI-based design tools make this far more accessible for counsellors and educators alike.”
MagicSchool.io
Overview and Capabilities
MagicSchool.io is an AI-driven platform specifically tailored for teachers, counsellors, and education professionals. It aims to assist with lesson planning, resource generation, and personalized learning strategies. Its features include:
- Adaptive learning materials aligned with curriculum standards.
- Automated lesson plan generation based on learning objectives.
- Collaboration hub for sharing resources across schools or counsellors.
Practical Applications
- Personal Support
- Individualized Interventions: The AI can suggest targeted social-emotional learning activities for individual students, based on their age group and needs.
- Family Engagement: Generate parent-focused guides or newsletters that address common emotional or developmental challenges.
- Vocational Support
- Industry-Specific Resources: MagicSchool.io can curate real-world examples, interview tips, and skill-building exercises to prepare students for internships or job placements.
- Vocational Course Guidance: Suggest relevant vocational courses or certificate programs, complete with learning objectives and potential career trajectories.
- Educational Support
- Lesson Plans for Academic Skills: Quickly create or adapt lesson plans focused on areas like study skills, test-taking strategies, and peer collaboration.
- Resource Library: Access a growing library of teacher-contributed materials, saving time when preparing counselling sessions or group workshops.
Cost Structure
Premium Upgrades: Additional analytics or advanced functionality may require a subscription (pricing varies, but often in the range of USD $10–$20/month for institutions).
Free for Educators: Many core features are offered free to teachers and counsellors.
Training and Familiarization: Encourage staff development sessions where counsellors can experiment with these tools. As John Hattie (2018) observed, “Professional development is key to unlocking the full potential of AI in educational settings.”
Data Privacy: Always adhere to relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, FERPA) when handling sensitive student information.
Human Oversight: AI tools are augmentative, not replacements. Ensure professional judgment remains central.
Inclusivity: Select tools that respect cultural, linguistic, and accessibility needs, bridging gaps rather than widening them.
AI is rapidly reshaping the educational and counselling landscape, offering unprecedented efficiencies in resource generation, personalization, and data management. By thoughtfully integrating tools such as ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Gamma.app, and MagicSchool.io, guidance counsellors can enhance the support they provide in personal, vocational, and educational contexts. The value of AI lies not only in its ability to automate but in how it frees counsellors to devote more time to the human dimension of their role: listening, empathizing, and guiding. “We must harness technology to elevate the art of counselling, not overshadow it.”
Prepared, in part by AI, for professional guidance counsellors seeking to integrate AI effectively into their practice.
