I always felt like the Counselor position was analogous to a Human Resources Business Partner in terms of their duties as an officer. They advise the CO on command decisions, keep the pulse of the crew, help with personnel management and development, etc.
Often in the corporate structure, the lead HR person is tied at the hip of the VP. I think the role is very similar in the 24th century aboard starships. They also obviously have psychology/psychiatry duties. Given the stress involved, the number of Starfleet and civilian personnel aboard and the duration of the mission, it actually makes good sense.
My only quibble is that modern SHRM is designed to use up humans and disregard them in the most efficient manner so its not entirely commensurable with what Troi's role was.
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