If it's a big public school, you can still do this yourself with the recommendations above. Hire a private counselor if:
(1) you and your kid are at odds over the college application process and you need a third party to bring sanity
(2) you don't have the time or interest or energy to spend on this. Your kid should do most of the work. But an adult -- you or a counselor-- will need to get involved vetting the school choices (reach, target and safety), arranging the trips to visit colleges, and vetting the essay. Otherwise, your kid is likely to apply only to Ivies, or only to schools you can't afford, or other bad ideas.
(3) you have extra money you don't know what to do with.

My kid graduated from a big DMV-area public high school and is now at a "top ivy." We did it ourselves.

OP,
Is this private or public, and how large is DD's class? If it's public, I'd get a consultant. If it's private, the counselor should be doing more, especially guiding the student to a list of schools.

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it to research schools that are appropriate for your child? I don't get why kids with help from their parents can't narrow down a list of safety schools, target schools and reach schools? What is so difficult? Why pay thousands of dollars for this? I can understand hiring someone for the essay but not for a list of schools.

DC went to Field where they had a fantastic guidance counselor, making me appreciate what else they do. She read and rejected two rounds of DC's essay. The result was a far, far better essay. That was invaluable. She also had some particular feedback from Field students who had gone to some of the schools DC was interested in, that turned out to be helpful. She also advised DC on course selection for senior year at Field. There's a lot more involved than just a list of schools. The list (which DC created before even discussing it with the counselor) is the least of it.