"Where we are tempted to speak of 'different senses' of a word which is clearly not equivocal, we may infer that we are in fact pretty much in the dark about the character of the concept which it represents."

— G.E.M Anscombe, Intention

Can I benefit from philosophical counseling if I've never studied philosophy?

Absolutely. Philosophical counseling is focused on talking through a specific issue, question or problem. What makes the talk philosophical is the emphasis on reasoning critically about the issue (which involves, for example, clarifying what it is to reason-critically-about-such-an-issue). With assistance, anyone can begin to approach personal matters in this spirit.

Studying philosophy in books or through classes can help a person learn to approach matters philosophically, but they are neither the only, nor always the most efficient ways. It is important to keep in mind, too, that not every course that has to do with philosophy is one that involves learning how to reflect philosophically on real issues. Some philosophy courses treat thinking as a spectator sport — learning about what philosophers have said, but not trying to do any of the relevant reasoning in the course. Others are concerned with how social or historical or psychological conditions may have shaped what philosophers have said. Both of these activities may be interesting to some people and useful for some purpose or other, but neither involves talking philosophically.