Hey, just wanted to let you know that the kind of therapy doesn't matter much and there's an ongoing debate about why evidence based therapies work in the first place.

While I understand what you're saying about CBT, but therapies more geared towards panic behavioral/exposure therapies, EMDR, art/mindfulness based ones don't show any significant evidence that they are better than CBT. The therapist might have suggested CBT because it's quick and easy. Usually the therapist will come up with a plan and not talk about panic related thoughts during CBT or gradually increase the exposure. In addition to that, therapist has to be well trained in calming down in case you experience discomfort. Also, every therapist has one or two preferred therapies but they should be comfortable in a broad range of therapeutic approaches.

Most important thing to watch out for is how safe you feel with the therapist and how strong your bonding is. You can and should ask questions and under no circumstances should you feel judged. A therapist should follow your lead and see which therapy works best for you, instead of the other way around.

Hope this helps.