"You don't need a therapist, you just need a friend!"
Sound familiar? I've certainly heard it. You might have said it to yourself, or maybe you had someone say it to you when you told them you were thinking about going to counselling. Clients have told me that they've thought it, and that they've heard it from others. It's an idea that exists in our culture -- that therapists really just do the same things that you really should be able to get from a friend.