Educational provision for adults (including counseling) only makes sense when viewed from a developmental life setting. Counselors working with adults must be aware of the adult life cycle as a process of continuing change and development. They must also realize that each individual life is lived through an opportunity structure. In other words, because the social context of an individual's life heavily influences his or her expectations and aspirations, adult development must be examined in terms of an interaction between psychological and sociological factors. Adult educators do not need special training or the title of "counselor" to use the the methods and skills of counseling in their work. It may be argued that the teaching of adults in itself constitutes a form of counseling. Counseling at a distance is an important and growing area for a large number of persons working in the field of continuing education for adults. Guidance and counseling can be conceived as opposite ends of a continuum concerned with the nature of the relationship between helpers and those seeking or needing help. Counselors of adults are called upon to provide information and counseling in a variety of areas, including work, unemployment, and retirement. (MN)