if I were next to her, I could role-play as a supportive friend or partner.
In situations like this I might tell them something like “you probably know that if I were in your shoes I would have a straightforward solution to this, but I understand that you don’t like my solution, and I am willing to just listen if that’s helpful to you”. Basically you are telling them upfront that you will be role-playing the supportive friend.
Interestingly, I don’t remember a single instance where someone got mad at me for this, which is somewhat surprising to me.
In situations like this I might tell them something like “you probably know that if I were in your shoes I would have a straightforward solution to this, but I understand that you don’t like my solution, and I am willing to just listen if that’s helpful to you”. Basically you are telling them upfront that you will be role-playing the supportive friend.
Interestingly, I don’t remember a single instance where someone got mad at me for this, which is somewhat surprising to me.