First, agree with everything you said (and it must be frustrating to deal with poptart* psychology like this).
>but it works for an awful lot of people
I know CBT is awfully popular on HN. But it is worth reading into the stats on CBT. Even if you take them at face value, it certainly does not work for everyone. It is of course, most effective when there is a clear cause and effect, very effective with anxiety, and also generally with children in particular. But has been shown to be ineffective or even dangerous when used with certain cohorts, ie. significant trauma background, clinical mental illness including depression, psychosis etc.
There have been more studies on CBT than any other form of therapy, and those studies suffer from the same replication crisis that the rest of social science research does.
So if it is your first exposure to getting help (and don't get me wrong, it is good to try as a first response) and it doesn't work for you, it is not your fault. You are not 'treatment resistant', more just at a 'treatment deficit'. Generally speaking, if your counsellor says you are treatment resistant, it is time to get a new counsellor and maybe if it is warranted a referral in combination with other medical expert like a psychiatrist. Each case is different though, and you are always your own best expert in yourself.
*like pop psychology, but it burns your mouth.