Just the word, counseling, often has a negative effect on people, I have noticed.  If you want to cause a defensive reaction in someone, suggest gently and without any judgment, they would benefit from counseling.  Immediately they hear only something is wrong with me. Then wait for the litany of various reasons why counseling will not work or has not worked in the past.  Counseling is too expensive, time-consuming, and doesn’t help them.  They know someone who went to counseling and boy, did that counselor mess them up.  I have even heard the excuse that God, as our Wonderful Counselor, did not endorse other counseling, despite the many verses in…