You probably know this, but to be clear to anyone reading this:
Sprpitual Advisors and Confessors are NOT therapists or counsellors. They are not trained to be such, nor are the skills they are trained as useful for such matters as many might imagine. Further, the closer the usage of a confessor becomes similar to a counsellor, the less likely he is to function in his proper role; it isn’t possible to be a confessor, and then put aside the role of confessor and be a counsellor to the same person.
Frankly, I suspect those confessors who imagined themselves counsellors to mentally sick priests may have been an ingredient to the pedophile problem. Pedophilia is NOT a problem which valid confession could have covered up. A priest who is a pedophile either never confesses his sin or his confession is to another priest who is not doing confession right.
That said, it is not surprising that competent confessors can prevent the need for counselling, in the way that dieticians can lessen the need for heart surgeons, even though a dietician isn’t competent to perform open heart surgery.
Well taken. I think the spiritual advisors and confessors just provide someone to listen and forgive according to the rules of the Church. Granted — they often do point the advisee/priest back to God and Jesus Christ. (And in my case, often to Scripture.)