I think it depends. To have a goal is great, but it's not strictly necessary.

For instance, despite being terrible about goals, I've recently considered that it might be nice to not be gripped by so much relentless anxiety and fear. It's exhausting. I don't know how much it's possible to dial down, but it's rare for me to be able to express a concrete goal so if an opportunity were available, that would be what I'd want help with.

Why? Because it's not something I've done well with on my own, and it very much gets bottled up. Which doesn't help, but I don't want to burden my BF with it. He's not trained to handle it without being overwhelmed himself. A therapist would be.

Sometimes, the only "goal" might be to be able to hold on. There was a really rough time when I had an appointment every week. I held on so hard to that day. That day was like a beacon. A point of accountibility. The T was doing CBT with me (though I didn't know what it was at the time). And there was homework.

Whether there's a concrete goal or not, it can simply be a place of support. Maybe someone doesn't have much in the way of support, or they struggle with asking for help, or worry about burdening their person/people, it's a place where it's about YOU. Sometimes that's the only place that's really happening.

(Sorry so run-on/disorganized. No concentration for editing.)