I was a (unpaid) counselor for many years. I don't know what kept me at it for so long: probably a combination of feeling a sense of purpose and ego. I had no certificate on the wall. People just kept coming to me for advice. But I stopped, for a combination of reasons. First, my advice rarely made much of a difference. Second, I decided my life wasn't that great of an example. Third, I determined that people don't move because of advice, but rather from experience, and most of the people I talked to would learn their lessons by living life. That is not a blanket judgment. Just my personal experience.