Students spend a part of their life in universities and other higher education institutions trying to acquire knowledge and necessary life skills in order to be able to perform their personal, familial, and social duties in a responsible way. During their beginning days in college a considerable number of students experience emotional, interpersonal, familial, behavioral and adjustment problems. Furthermore, student life creates its own concerns for some students, such as academic, career, marriage and family, social, sexuality, and substance abuse. Since 1930s in the United States, and 1989 in Iran, guidance and counseling services have been available to help students take care of their concerns and make important life choices and decisions. There are four major counseling service models that universities base their therapeutic services on them which include, counseling as psychotherapy, counseling as vocational guidance, traditional counseling, and counseling as consultation. Counselors in higher education institutions offer counseling services in three areas: A) therapy, B) Prevention, C) Development. Responsibilities of university counselors are: Educational counseling, personal counseling, testing and assessment, research, marriage and family counseling; career counseling, group counseling, supervision and training, teaching, and management. The author of this article suggests that peer
counseling and addiction counseling be added to the responsibilities of university counseling centers.