Counselling has only one goal.
That goal is to empower you to make better choices from here on out.
That simple.
Now, there are a whole mess of ways to get to that point, sure. Basically, though, you have to have the strength to change what you can change, the serenity to accept what you cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
You need to get free of being controlled by your history, free of being controlled by your habits, free of being controlled by your doctrine, free of being controlled by your expectations, free of being controlled by avoidance strategies, free from being controlled by blind denial, free of being controlled by pain, free of being controlled by fear.
Then you have to find new strategies, habits, approaches and contexts to support good choices. What is good is up to you, but usually empowering, affirming, choices that respect nature and the world bring us more positive than choices which support acting out of fear and pain.
Everyone heals in their own time and in their own way, as frustrating as that may be. But actualization, integration and virtue come when we can make positive choices rather than just enact negative reactions.
Counsellors help people find ways to get past their shit and make better choices.
That simple.
Callan 