Questions I’ve been asked as a counselor (how would you respond?):

1. ‘Rowland, I have a very high libido, my (pastor) husband has none! So I have a date with Jesus every Thursday morning (when my husband’s out), run the bath, light a candle, sing worship-songs and pleasure myself. Only Jesus or my husband is in my mind – no one else. Anything wrong with that?’ Your response?

More…http://jmm.org.au/articles/4884.htm

2. ‘Did you know you can buy Viagra (for male erection problems) at secure online Pharmacy sites for a fraction of the cost you’ll buy it at your local chemist/pharmacist? They’ll send the parcel plain-wrapped from places like India.’

3. ‘After eight years of marriage we’ve never tried sex after a disastrous honeymoon night, before which we were both virgins. Should we have tried sex before then to figure out why we don’t fit? His penis is very large, and there’s no way we could figure out how to do it without hurting.’

4. ‘I’m in a relationship with a man I love, but we’ve not had sex. My wife and I stopped making love years ago, and she knows I’m gay. Apart from this factor we have a good relationship and friendship. No children. What should I do?’

More… http://jmm.org.au/articles/22914.htm

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FB friend:

I have two (potential) problems with this:

1. Is it appropriate for a male counsellor to counsel a woman on this matter.

2. (If it is a real situation) Is it appropriate to share this unusual situation which could possibly be identified by the person concerned with the whole world on Facebook.

My response: 1. There are ethical boundaries which all counselors must put in place (not talking with someone of the opposite sex in *absolute* privacy – which is why I talk with people while strolling along public suburban walking trails – consulting with a supervisor etc.). It’s a constant source of amazement to me that women talk to an older male counselor about matters they wouldn’t talk to another woman about often… My theory about that is the ‘surrogate father’ factor…

2. These are real situations, but always with some of the *details* altered, and from several years ago (not recent conversations).