How do I start working with a client? Now I’ll share. It’s just that some psychologists immediately put forward hypotheses. It’s important for me to spend some time during the first meeting asking the client questions and listening to his answers. At this time, I analyze the situation, think about it. This leads to some ideas. I get to know a person better, it’s easier for me. And he gets the opportunity to talk about himself, share his feelings, speak out. In general, sharing and simply speaking out is very often the most important moment at the beginning. Speak out and get understanding from the psychologist, support, hope that everything can be fixed. One way or another, the first three or four meetings are intended to collect information and a better understanding of the client and his situation. Recognizing the client, of course, does not stop there, but continues throughout the entire process. It’s just that at the first meetings this is a more pronounced, so to speak, process. In general, while the client tells something about himself at the first meeting, I not only listen to him, but my brain gets the opportunity to analyze, compare, put forward something hypotheses. Calmly listening to the client, I calmly carry out another work in parallel, it turns out. And almost always at the first meeting and the work itself begins, the client already takes away something useful for himself from it. Of course, I’m not just some there is an analyzer, but also a completely sensitive, empathic person, sensitive to the client’s experiences. This is not my narcissistic view, but rather the assessment of those specialists who saw my work from the outside. This opinion is also based on the reviews that clients leave, including on this site. The main rule for me at the beginning of work, but often in the future, is to follow the client, his interest. This does not mean that I somehow appear simply to such listeners, no. Rather, I do not interfere with the client going where it is important for him to go. But at the same time, of course, I don’t forget to offer something on my part: hypotheses, my vision, experiments, feedback, emotional response, and so on. In general, I do everything that a psychologist should do. This, again, is not only my opinion, but also the opinion of those who see my work (in supervisory groups, for example). This is what I would like to say about the beginning of the work. If I remember anything else, I will share it in the comments .Waiting for your responses! How does your work begin? Thank you! My contacts can be found hereVladislav Mashin, psychologist.