I think there are a lot of ways that you can use a therapist to help you meet your goals. I started having a lot better luck with therapy when I stopped expecting them to "fix" me and started using them as a tool to "fix" myself.

I've used them as accountability partners. That works well for me because I do like approval from others. So I can tell a therapist, I want to exercise three times a week, will you ask me about that? And then just the fact that I know they are going to ask and I don't like them being disappointed in me makes me more likely to do it.

I've used them to practice assertiveness. Unlike a lot of people in my life, when I get annoyed at a therapist I tell him or her.

I use them to vent. Sometimes they give me advice, which is fine, but it's actually more helpful if they just reassure me that I'm doing what I should.