the view from a New direction

I used to think that people did not want psychotherapy, or for that matter that they did not want any advice whatever because they didn't know what they were missing. They just didn't have the taste for it since they never tried.
Recent events have shown me that it is quite otherwise. I was in my own session the other day and suddenly realized that what I was telling my analyst was so personal and so threatening to my self-understanding that I could barely stand it. The difference between myself and a "random" person on the street is - I asked to be in treatment, I knowingly wanted to say what was difficult to say, and I trusted my analyst enough (based on experience) to try it.
Can you (or better, can I?) imagine how excruciating, unwarranted and dangerous any kind of psychotherapeutic advice may sound when it comes randomly, when it is not asked for?

This is a new lesson to me, although I still don't know how to respond to someone in pain. When a doctor sees a sick person or someone asks what to do about an ailment, is she obligated to respond? If so, what kind of remedy should she provide, should she advise treatment and follow up? Or should she investigate the cause of the illness with the person (provided that they both have time)? And does it depend on who are the doctor and the person in distress, how do they relate to each other?

These are some questions I'm thinking about...