[throwaway000021]

My primary advice would be that therapists/counsellors are NOT all the same. You need to find one who works for you, and it is a very individual thing. Actively plan to try 4 of them, and do 2 paid sessions with each before deciding to continue with one.

Also be aware that IMO some counsellors/therapists are actually bad at their job.... if you get the feeling that something really does not make sense to you, then stop going to them and find someone else.

I've tried many and found a few really good ones and definitely some really bad ones.

It's also true that some were good for a long while but then at some point things changed and they no longer were effective for me, so things can change over time.