There are different types of meditations, and I think many do try to distract clients from their thoughts. But at least one meditation teaches you to "sit with your thoughts" and "move through them" one at a time.

At its core, meditation trains us to be mindful, not just of our environment, but also of what's going on internally. Most of what I work on with my therapist involves this process. Whether it's called RAIN, CBT, MBSR, it seems to boil down to the same thing, AFAIC.