I've seen four different therapists in my adult life. I never went back to the first one after the first visit because I was in denial. I couldn't afford his fees and that made it easy to stay in denial. I went a few years to the 2nd one and the fee was on a sliding scale because it was a United Way agency. My 3rd was for a very specific issue and ended when she broached issues I didn't want to deal with. I've been seeing my current therapist for over 2 years now and it's a match made in heaven. He insists that I utilize Alanon, and because of it, I'm down to one visit per month with him. Sometimes I don't see him for two months.
When I first met him, I said "these are my issues and I want resolution. How will you help me achieve that?" It was like a job interview.
What I've learned is that not all therapists use the same techniques. Some are all about talk therapy and that's good when you need to get stuff out of your system, but it's easy to get stuck there if you don't have a plan.
I've also learned that if I want advice and suggestions, I have to ask for it. If a therapist is unable to give me that, then I need a different one.