In some major churches, members are expected to confess their sins to a priest or minister, either on a regular schedule or when they feel they need to.   Unless the rules have changed recently, I believe the Catholic church requires you to confess your sins, even minor ones, before you can receive communion.  In the International Community of Christ, priests and ministers do not hear confession, except in the sense of providing counsel to members who request it, because we don't believe that a priest or minister can forgive sins, only God can do that.  I do think, however, that it is often good for people to confess their sins, or wrongdoings if you don't like the word sin, for two reasons.  One, holding it in can cause psychological problems that can lead to physical problems (studies have shown that people who feel guilty about something have weakened immune systems) when allowed to fester.  Second, when you tell someone else, their reaction will usually show you that the terrible thing you think you did was not as bad as you think and you should forgive yourself as God forgives you if you are truly repentant (there are exceptions, of course, but I don't think murderers or rapists are likely to be reading this blog).   That doesn't mean there are no consequences for out actions, but none of us is perfect, we all make mistakes, we need to accept it, accept the consequences, forgive ourselfs, avoid the same mistake in the future, and move on with our lives.