Is counselling effective?

A professor in one of my psychology classes once said that we cannot perform miracles.  That people who come to us may never achieve happiness.  He said that in many cases we are replacing the Aunt Martha that people no longer have.  That stuck with me.  He said that if we can make people just a little less sad, than we have accomplished something.  Counselling is very rewarding.  There is no quick fix cure.  People go for counselling for a variety of reasons and no one is immune.  Who is your Aunt Martha?  Do you have someone you can trust completely? How much can you trust your own therapist?  There are laws that compel therapists to report cases of child abuse, or the threat to oneself or others.  A therapist may be compelled to testify in court.  At least that is so in Canada.  Laws and regulations vary in different countries.  But how effecitive is counselling?  There is a sense of relief when people find someone they can pour out their soul to.  They find themselves walking, no longer alone.  They can step back slowly and examine their lives.  What can they change?  Can they communicate their feelings to someone else or themselves?  Another professor told us that two months is the average that clients need for counselling.  I have found in my experience that this could not be further from the truth.  It may take months or even a year plus to trust someone completely to talk about an embedded hurt.  For some people two months may be enough but certainly not for all.  Two months has certainly not been the average in my experience.  Perhaps today you can examine your life.  Who do you talk to? Who can you trust?  Christmas is a wonderful time for some, but also a dangerous time for others?  Maybe it is time to step outside your door and to trust someone.  What do you think?