1. The T does need to get to know you first. That will take several, sometimes many, sessions. Patience is required. I know that I often return to therapy when I feel desperate and need immediate relief of some sort. Therapy takes time and treating c-PTSD takes more time than other issues.

2. I had therapy at a center where the T's seemed to do very little except listen. Finally, my 3rd therapist at the center (I'd made no progress under the prior 2) called in the director when I protested. The director told me that the therapy at the center was patient led. I left immediately as c-PTSD is something I cannot treat on my own and a certain degree (actually, IMO, a lot) of therapist intervention is required. My recommendation? Get out of there and get a better therapist. I've heard it all before "I'm eclectic and don't follow any one particular type of treatment;" and "I want you to take the lead" (in other words, I do not want to take responsibility for your treatment success or failure). Find a real trauma specialist. Be aware that there are not many treatments and progress is slow.

It appears that many counselling centers, it an attempt to squeeze in as many patients as possible, are using a new tactic where therapy is almost totally patient led. It absolves the therapist / therapy center of responsibility for outcomes (which helps legally too). In my experience, this approach to psychotherapy also does not help patients with issues who require specific treatments or interventions to make progress. A sign of a center like this is where all patients are required to sign a "treatment plan" that they never see because it's the same generic and vague treatment plan for all patients; it's intended to protect them from being sued for incompetence and nothing more.

It is important to have a T who works with you and to some extent guides you when you cannot help yourself. A T who just listens is mostly useless in my opinion. Ultimately, it's your decision. You have to do what is best for you. Tell the T what you need from them and if they cannot or will not deliver then move on.