detraction or just seeking advice and a listening ear?

[sr.christinaosf]

So if you're dealing with a very difficult situation with someone and you kind of just needed to talk to someone...
Having done so, the situation is still troublesome, would it be okay to discuss it with someone else for input/just for an outlet, would it be considered detraction and against the commandments to talk about the situation with a different person?
The person is being very difficult and it might be helpful to talk to another person I know who has been a good confidant in the past.

[Little Flower]

I think it can really depend on the situation. There are definitely times when you need advice for how to act in a particular situation. But that being said, I've been finding that a lot of times, Jesus is the best confidant. Seeking to vent outside of that leads me to tend to be uncharitable towards the other person. Or, what I've noticed in myself, is that in talking the situation through with someone else, I'm really just looking for them to validate me and have them tell me that I've done nothing wrong, that it's all the other person's fault.

So maybe think about why, really, you want to talk to someone. Is it out of love and charity for this person, that you truly need advice on how to love them as Christ would, or is it a desire to vent or to be validated in your own actions?

Someone else might be able to give a more technically precise answer on what the Church would say

[cappie]

When the revelation of another person's fault is necessary or very useful, as in defense of self or of others, no injustice is done in revealing it. This would be the case when the failing or defect is made known to parents, or superiors, or for the purpose of seeking counsel or help, or to prevent harm to others, though again, there must be adequate proportion between the lessening of a person's reputation (which is not intended) and the good to be achieved by the disclosure (which is intended).  Fr John Hardon SJ

http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Commandments/Commandments_004.htm