ABSTRACT
The frame in psychotherapy is a metaphor that captures certain important aspects of the treatment situation. The analytic therapeutic situation takes place in a particular setting at a consistent time and frequency that also provides other constants. Time is one of the elements of the frame. Typically a treatment begins at a certain time and ends at a certain time. Constancy and consistency are an important part of what the frame provides. Another part of the frame is the actual office setting in which the treatment takes place. Therapists' offices vary greatly, depending on the amount of space a therapist has available, the room's location, and whether the room itself changes due to administrative constraints. Arrangements about money form another part of the frame. Some therapists prefer to be paid each session, others once a month.
