In my experience, the venting at the therapist and looping around and around already-covered topics was my way of avoiding getting deeper into my feelings. She let me do this for awhile before demanding that we change the method.
Also, my anger towards my therapist was often when she suggested I do or think about things that I was working to avoid. I was very angry with my therapist, for example, when she suggested my STBXAH might be an alcoholic.