Before starting psychotherapy, the client and therapist meet 2 – 3 times to get to know each other. These sessions give both parties the possibility to assess whether they think the collaboration is likely to be meaningful. The client’s situation is examined, that is, the client expresses why he or she wants to start psychotherapy, recounts his or her background, current life situation as well as the years of growing up.

After this, a contract for the therapy is made, which means deciding upon how often to meet, the fee and the framework for the therapy, such as pauses and what to do if the client fails to turn up for a session.