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QUESTION:  Is not the role of the priest to offer guidance and counsel to people who ask it of him?  Not take away free will, but merely offer tools and opportunities to make better choices in regards to matters of temptation and the like. Allow me to explain...

Recently, I was chastised, by a member of my family, for outwardly seeking spiritual guidance from my parish pastor/assistant pastors, when I was strongly tempted in regards to matters of doubt regarding my traditional faith. (I feel I owe these priests a debt of gratitude for continued prayers, time and counsel that has in many ways spared me from falling from the traditional Catholicism, to which I was born, raise, and have remained over the years.) I must note these priests never took away my free will to pursue anything else; the priests offered me the opportunities and tools to make better choices. Never once did I feel they were telling me anything against the true Church of Christ.  Choosing to cooperate with the graces and opportunities these priest afforded me also played a part.  As the Apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect." However, such guidance and counsel received, in my family member's opinion, does not lead to independent thinking, which is supposedly encouraged.  This is a new concept to me, one that I do not understand. Any respectful explanation will be helpful.

Has your family never sought the counsel of an expert in a particular field?  A lawyer, accountant, college professor, parents (on parenting), the married (on marriage), a mechanic, physician, dentist...well, you see the point.

It is ridiculous to suggest that a Catholic, when having questions about the Catholic Faith, wouldn't consult a Catholic priest.

It really is absurd to think otherwise. Are your family members Catholic?

Oddly enough, Ladislaus, according to my family member, to seek counsel and follow the advise of a priest or a religious counselor is to take away ones independent thought process to think for yourself, which surrenders one's free will to a human being.
Yes, JPM, all my family members are Catholics, "cradle catholics" if you will. Yes, many times seeking guidance from others, non clergy/religious, has been sought to seek the input of those more learned than I.  I do believe that lay people are bound in conscience to be learned on the faith, although not perhaps to the level of a priest/clergy.  
Unfortunately, one of my family members, the one who is making the above mentioned claims, is a younger sibling, deeply hurt by a very troubled past in the catholic schools we attended.  He has found a niche with a very small group of Catholics in the area. He, certainly, is not coming up with this claim on his own, and has his own sources for such information. Basic facts as I know them: They at one time claimed Traditional Catholicism, yet do not define themselves currently as Traditional Catholics, which is not surprising all things considered (long story to their history!). They still remain Latin Rite Catholics, by definition. They have advised my sibling that (Literally!) all other Catholic/traditional Catholic churches in the area/around the world are heretical and they are the last true Church of Christ.  Their pastor has been rehabbing for the past 2 years in a nursing facility, due to extreme poor health, and unable to offer Masses or the sacraments on a regular basis. My sibling is in continued contact with the religious nuns associated  with this small faction. Free/independent/personal thinking, without seeking counsel, is their current mantra.  Will I continue to seek advise from others, religious, or otherwise? ABSOLUTELY! Without a doubt.