Interesting question! One thing I know - I cannot counsel or teach my own husband. He actually, after my last sermon, said, that it "was ok" "with a few good points." As he is a master of understatement, this is high praise!
As for counselling, I have not done a lot as a pastor, but when I was working as a chaplain, I counselled men all the time. In fact, one widower whose wife of 70 years had just died, I spent a lot of time counselling and praying with him. But that sounded like a marriage that didn't need any help from me or anyone else. The man was grief stricken. I don't know how much longer he lasted.
I have counselled men of all ages. Talked about their issues, and their problems, and introduced them to Christ. I will say, I often offer counsel in the Family Forum, although face to face marriage counselling would be very different.
Basically, God's principles are the same in counselling, no matter whether it is a man or woman that is doing it. Plus, if I was to tell a woman to submit to her husband, she might listen more, if it was in context of a woman pastor. As for men that are overbearing, thinking they have the right to treat their wives terribly, they would probably not listen to me, either. I would pass those couples off to another pastor. There is nothing wrong with admitting in certain circumstances, I would not be the right person to do the job! Although, I would think that a good pastor would probably say the same things to an abusive husband as I do. And the pastors who tell their wives to go back into an abusive marriage, well, they are complicit in abuse and sometimes murder, which happens more often than most people would like to admit. (Yes, in the church! Sadly!)
Still, I cannot find any Bible verse that prohibits a woman from counselling a couple. Do you know one? In fact, the whole idea of "counselling" per se, is really not in the Bible, although their are some excellent principles that anyone who knows them can use.
