"Don't you get tired of listening to people complain about their problems?"

No, actually. My initial impulse is to say that that's not what therapy is. But things are more complicated than that.

People generally come to therapy with a describable problem, and they do talk about it. But do they talk about it all the time, week after week? Ideally, no. Ideally, they talk about themselves - past experiences, the present, their dreams for the future - so that we can come to understand the problem in the overall context of their life. 

Sometimes someone does talk about his or her problem more or less to the exclusion of other considerations. I can listen to that, empathetically, for quite a long time. I know we're not going to solve the problem this way, but I can accept that this may be what the person needs to do for now.

Other times, someone comes in, identifies the problem, but then seems reluctant to examine it directly. That's ok, too. Reluctance to talk about the identified problem, or insistence on talking about it all the time - these are important parts of the picture. The problem doesn't exist in isolation from the person's attitude towards it.

I'm always seeking understanding - not just of your problem, but of you. For it to be helpful to you, it has to be a shared understanding, one that you can accept as true and meaningful. This is one of the ways that therapy can take a while. You come with whatever abilities and deficits you happen to possess. It's my job to help you make the most of your abilities and overcome your deficits so you can get on with your life.