Isn't this just describing a therapist? I don't mean that to belittle this (whether it be real or fake), I think therapy is great, and I often feel like therapy could (and does, I suppose) exist in many more formats than just sitting-on-couch-in-quiet-office (rent-a-friend, good psychics, good religious leaders, bartenders, etc, etc).
Whether real or not, I think the fact that it _sounds_ plausible [at least enough to be a good satire] suggests that there's probably something to the idea that having a fairly neutral companion is pretty valuable.
No, therapists make you do homework. The job involves more than lending a sympathetic ear and pocketing the cash.
Behavioural change doesn't happen by just talking. Maybe that's for session 1, but for session 2, you'll have to do work to understand your feelings, what triggers them and how to set up your life and daily schedule to manage them. To do this you will likely be asked to keep a mood diary, and review the results during the sessions.
Lots of people quit therapy because it's expensive and their employer may only cover the cost of say 10 sessions. But a lot of people quit well before that because they go into it thinking that they'll "let it all out" and get instant results.
No, the jobs he was hired for don't sound like a therapist at all. At most he is only willing to offer feedback, but most of the jobs are literally just people wanting an extra person for a variety of reasons.
Whether real or not, I think the fact that it _sounds_ plausible [at least enough to be a good satire] suggests that there's probably something to the idea that having a fairly neutral companion is pretty valuable.