I am glad that you have raised this.

My answer is "yes I think so" but I don't always know all the different areas and possibilities that are, or could be, affected by my therapy. But I do go into it with specific ideas, not necessarily very clear and often definitely not linear, but I can't imagine hiring a therapist (or any other professional) just for the sake of it, with something very vague, like "something is wrong with me, help me figure out what it is". Just not how I work as a person. Goal setting and a certain level of follow-up is important for me.

I have learned from experience though that sometimes there is are initial issues/goals that I desire to address and work towards, but they change on the go, during the process, based on what is realistic, feasible, and what is not realistic/feasible in a particular experience. I do still typically know what I am interested in in a given moment, but like to keep an open mind to possibilities and to how my perceptions and original goals can be adjusted in a constructive way for me. I don't usually abandon projects quickly just because they don't serve my original purpose, but I do need to see some kind of goal that they do serve, even if adjusted.

I like a lot of flexibility both in my and the therapist's approach, but I want to be and am the primary person driving and defining what it is in a given moment. My approach to life in general is similar: keeping an open mind to possibilities and potential, and being flexible enough myself to adjust based on experience, on the go. What if I discover an unexpected, new direction or application? I love to stay open to the unknown in pretty much all areas of my life. But I want to understand what I am doing in the moment, what for, try to calculate what opportunities might arise from it, etc. Otherwise I will stop engaging in it and definitely stop paying for it.