Educational consultation generally refers to the scientific investigation and research activities of professional consultants or institutions from educational administrative departments at all levels, schools, organizations and other organizations. On the premise of establishing a certain entrustment relationship with him, the trustee independently and objectively uses knowledge and skills to provide intellectual services for the client.

Latin consultation means consultation, which means discussion and consultation. In ancient China, "consultation" and "inquiry" were originally two words, namely, consultation and inquiry. Later, they gradually formed a compound word with the meanings of inquiry, planning and consultation. Through the knowledge and experience stored in some people's minds, through the comprehensive processing of various information materials, comprehensive research and development are carried out. Consulting produces the comprehensive benefits of intellectual labor and plays the role of consultant, staff officer and external brain for decision makers.

As a social activity with personnel and services, it has developed in military, political and economic fields, and has become an important means to assist decision-making in social, economic and political activities, and has gradually formed an applied soft science.

Lu He Miao Yuan thinks: "Consulting is a knowledge about consulting activities and phenomena, and it is a comprehensive applied subject facing practice. Consulting is a new discipline formed by the mutual penetration and gradual integration of information science, economic management science, social psychology, computer science and system theory. "

Yu Xiong believes that "consulting is a science that studies the general laws of consulting and consulting activities."