Dear Queenie,
A friend of mine is married and when we get together for drinks or whatever she spends most of the time complaining about the problems she has with her husband. It just gets to be too much, and sometimes I can hardly keep from pointing out to her that some of the problems she brings on herself by the way she behaves and the way she treats him.
Queenie, how can I get her to talk about something else?—Bored friend
Dear Friend,
You can try to change the subject, but I suspect you have already taken that approach with little success.
Do what I do with people who write to me about such problems: Tell her you are not equipped to help her deal with these problems, not interested in hearing about them any more (I do not say that last part!), and she should seek professional counselling.
