This is an area where answers must be nuanced.
There are some Christian counselors who operate according to a counseling paradigm based on non-Biblical views of human nature, sanctification, justification, and the character of God.
There are two approaches/schools I respect: The Christian Counseling and Education Foundation [CCEF] (David Powlison, Paul and Ted Tripp, Ed Welch, et al), and Jay Adams -- and the two are closely related, Adams being sort of the father of the former, though they have some differences.
CCEF:
http://ccef.org/home.htm
There are counselors who take a victim-centered approach -- as opposed to Christ-centered -- and one can see that there is a tendency to "comfort" the person sinning, rather than telling them repentance is necessary in order to have a clean conscience toward God and others. Some counseling approaches wreak serious damage in individuals, families, and even marriages.
There are times when meds are in order, but often this option is abused.
I do not think a professional counselor is always necessary (a good Christian counselor, even if professional, is a treasure); there are lay people with a Spirit-illumined knowledge of the human heart and mind, who know the Lord and His grace to a profound degree, who may help many troubled souls.
Are there no such persons in the "hypochondriac's" church or circle of friends? Has this person ever been gently confronted with their behavior? Do they have a desire for growth which may be utilized to the end of putting away such behavior?
The CCEF approach looks at "the sins beneath the sins," that is, the idols of the heart which guide behaviors. Example, a person steals, and the idol underneath that sin is....insecurity, envy? A person lies, and the idol underneath is....fear of rejection/need for approval? In all cases, we worship something other than the true God.
CCEF writers call addictions "worship disorders". They seek to effect change in the deeps of the heart -- where we are motivated -- and not
merely stop the behaviors.
Steve