Abstract The concept of counseling is among the oldest human practices that can be traced throughout the history of man and one of the key elements that has historically influenced the way it is conducted has been cultural and environmental undertones of a given society. In this research paper, it is surmised that counseling is largely affected by cultural differences which may either make it easier or harder for practitioners to engage in effectively. The paper presents its research findings from the study that was done in the US and Indian culture where different elements of these cultures are discussed regarding how they affect the practice of counseling. From the research done, the paper concludes that in these two cultures, cultural differences and responses play a critical role in the practice of counseling and some of these key elements include family traditions, caste systems, expectations, religious beliefs and ideologies, freedom of expression and the role of men and women in the society. Key Words: counseling, cultural differences and responses, family traditions, culture and environment. Introduction Counseling is a concept that is deeply entrenched in the fabric of cultural preferences and a specific social distinctive that is particulate to a given group. According to Hill and Lent (2006), it is a psychological specialty that is concerned with a host of disciplines and areas of humanity key of which include research and applied work in such domains as counseling process and outcomes, training and supervision, prevention and health, career developing among others (Hill & Lent, 2006; Vogel, Wade & Hackler, 2007; Gupta & Ferguson, 1992). In the process of counseling, there are a number of unifying concepts that are used by counseling psychologists in the course of their operations some of which include a focus on strengths and assets, interactions that persons have with the environment in which they live and how it affects their lives and value systems, career and educational development, a discrete focus on intact personalities and brief interactions (Vogel, Wade & Hackler, 2007). Being that counseling as a concept is so wide and largely varied depending on a myriad of factors, there is a lot of research that has been done on it regarding operations and best practices that are responsive to the specific needs of practitioners and clients so as to make its effectiveness as appropriate as well as convenient. As mentioned previously, one of the elements that influence counseling is culture and the environment which means that there are things that are specific to different cultures and societies that determine the nature of counseling practices that are done among members of such a community. These elements of the society are the ones that form the basis of this research. In this research paper, greater attention will be given to the nature of different factors in different cultures and how they affect the practice of counseling and whether these factors’ effects can be considered helpful of detrimental. This paper will consider two cultures: the United States of America culture and the Indian culture. Problem statement There are inherent factors in cultural differences and responses to counseling between India and United States that appreciably alter the approaches taken in the practice of this activity among its citizenry. These differences are occasioned by the way the respective populace of these communities are wired when it comes to their livelihood, socialization, value sy