No Help At All

He terminated therapy after several months of hit-and-miss appointments. Sure, in the beginning, he was always there, but as time went by, he would show up later and later. Or he would call at the last minute with some crisis preventing him from being there. (Once he called from a class which was running longer than he'd expected!) Finally he announced that he wouldn't come any more, as he felt  the sessions were not helpful. Oh well, at least he came for an appointment to tell me...
It would seem obvious that not every therapist can help every client. People can be quite particular and even sophisticated in who and what they are looking for in a therapist. Some have had  numerous therapists, and they are willing to move on if they feel the current one does not measure up. They may not be completely clear as to just what exactly they seek, but they seem quite sure if this therapist is not it.
And then there are those clients who come, not for themselves, but for someone else. The abusive alcoholic angry spouse or partner who is told (by the court if not the spouse): therapy or else! The grown child still living with parents who is pushed into therapy with the need to find out what he/she will be when grown-up. The couple coming with each expecting the solution lies  in the other person changing.
Of course there is the financial aspect. People come because their employer tells them: you need help, and your job is on the line. They come under their Employee Assistance Plan, where they pay nothing for the sessions and obviously think it worth every penny.
And there is the religious issue.  Because I am a pastoral psychotherapist, people come to me expecting something like they would get from their pastor. But even there, the spectrum is wide, from beating them over the head with the  Bible to prayer and meditation. Yes, there are some clergy with the necessary skills to handle some short-term issues, and they know when to refer someone.
It is still a sense of loss  on the therapist's part when help was not possible. As suggested above, that may have little to with the therapist. But a good therapist wants to help, and it does no good to realize intellectually that no one can help everyone.
Which doesn't stop you from trying!