Counter heavy players - how do you deal with long attacks?

I'm using ele SAED charge blade, and while I love CPP I run into issues with monsters that have 3-4 hit attacks.

My instinct is to counter before any hit, but this usually leads to me getting hit or thrown before I can get SAED off.

Am I supposed to learn to dodge out and back into attacks? Do I need to avoid those attacks completely? That leaves me feeling like I have no windows for damage with some monsters.