Leaving the querent with bad news.....
In psychotherapy a contract is delivered verbally to the client. It is in place to safe guard both the client and counsellor against harm, breaches of boundaries and it is in place to ensure the client understands work is about to take place, enables them to understand and concent, and to engage in the session with equal responsibility.
Having said that. I believe a similar exchange of understanding should be clarified at the start of a tarot reading session. In concenting to participate the querent needs to accept their own responsibility for the nature of the process and what information might be received by them from the reader be it good or as in the op's question bad. It should be stated clearly at onset, that they feel safe enough and strong enough to proceed with the reading and take away with them whatever insights are given.
People have to be encouraged or at least assumed to be autonomous.
Yep ... I can dig it ... I think a lot of us are speaking up against a type of new age concept that has infiltrated SOME ideas of SOME people about tarot reading 'advice' : 
When reading the cards I don't feel an obligation to find "good news" in the spread. Some spreads have no good news and I would much rather be honest and help the querent to prepare for the possibility of whatever was shown in the cards rather than to give that person false hope. I've been misled and let down by "rainbow readers" and soothe sayers too often. I would never want anyone to experience that. Additionally, if we were all really in control of our own destinies I believe poverty rates would be at 1% or less. Life will not always be pleasant...