Counselling Subterfuge

Counselling is a field of subterfuge. But the experienced counsellor knows how to recognise it and "hold the line".  Subterfuges include (on the part of the counselee) pleading ignorance, changing the subject, appealing to (not seldom the counsellor's) guilt, majoring on minors -- and so on. Come to think of it, it is rather surprising how so many people have developed the same skills of subterfuge. OBSERVATION: Usually, I don’t let on that I am aware of subterfuges. Whom would it benefit? Only the counsellor’s ego, perhaps.