It is a skill, of sorts. I don't like them scamming people but, I guess, if they give someone comfort for a small- I mean small- fee, I guess ok? Skill reminds me of certain police, military, and lawyers. There is a psychology and method behind cold-reading, interviewing a subject, a depo, general negotiation, sales, etc and adjustments made on the fly based on responses and desired outcome. Some great stuff written (and now youtubes) from hostage negotiators etc on such also that are interesting. A problem is, that if one is effective and the balance of power (which it almost always is) is unbalanced a trained interrogator can get almost anything from a subject at some point. I'm not talking torture but interviews, etc so important to train oneself also to avoid this because the information you gain might be incorrect or compromised. Or deal settled upon will be reneged on. It is nuts but there are people everyday who "confess" to stuff (though this is also an issue with regard to plea-bargaining and perceptions/reality of the system.) Goodness, I'm almost sound like some bleeding heart liberal now. Dang it.
This is very true, that certain professionals merely "work" clinical or legal conversations just to suit their purposes. It astounds me when professionals ask a question, the answer to which should be outlined in a report, and then they just go with whatever you say on the fly to suit their own purposes. They ask for a sound bite, when they know the problem requires a list or is complex.
I have found that when someone does that to you, treats your info as narrow when it's very complex, the following are good replies: "Which one?", "What month?", "Do you mean in the early part of the day or late in the day?", "Before I saw you or after treatment started?", or "Which part?". That way, you pin them down on what they are asking so accuracy will be retained. And to bring 2 copies of your own list(s) or outlines.
Some professionals are deliberately cavalier, vague, dismissive, inattentive, or frankly misleading & manipulative. That really is a good reason why it helps to have a good attorney or politician-type whenever you might need one. They can see if the other side is leading you down a path that sounds fine, but in reality is a set up. We joke about attorneys and politicians, but...
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