“Many a person cannot break his own chains, yet he may be a liberator of his friend.”

— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Friedrich Nietzsche

The fact that someone is personally struggling with problems and difficulties does not mean they cannot help others solve theirs.

Some people reject counselors and psychologists for this very reason—or rather as an excuse—based on the mistaken belief that guidance and advice are only acceptable from someone who is completely successful and without problems.

Sometimes, for emotional or unconscious reasons, we do not clearly recognize our own pain and difficulties. Yet when we look at someone else’s situation from a certain distance and with a more rational perspective, we may gain a more accurate understanding of that person’s circumstances.

For this reason, the thoughts and perspectives of others can always be helpful to us, regardless of the situation they themselves may be in.

Moreover, a counselor or psychologist is not supposed to make decisions for the client or lead them like a blind person being guided by the hand to a final destination. Rather, they explore different ways of understanding issues and possible approaches to solving them together with the client. In the end, the client themselves is the final decision‑maker.

So perhaps the real question is not whether the counselor is a successful person or not. Instead, it may be better to ask whether the counselor or psychologist can help us understand our issues more clearly and teach us how to manage and regulate our troubling emotions and feelings.