How effective is counselling for depresion?

Cognitive-behavioral: Therapy is the most effective treatment for depression. It may sometimes need to be supplemented with medication. It's also helpful to exercise, engage in social interaction & engrossing activities, practice gratitude, do kind things for others, develop & commit to meaningful goals, practice stress management, & talk to trusted, empathic people. 90% in consumer rprts study -- counseling helped.

Depression: "counseling" is more superficial, while "psychotherapy" is directed at deeper emotional states and personality change. While you might think this is all semantics, it is an important distinction which should be more widely known. So, to answer your question, psychotherapy can be quite effective for depression, but when medication is added the effects are even more positive.