ABSTRACT
The process of assessment may reflect that aspect of the analytic process which, from the moment it begins, is always promoting the patient's or client's self-discovery, so that there will come a time when the external therapist can be relinquished. The process and outcome of an initial assessment may be significantly influenced by a variety of environmental factors. R. D. Hinshelwood, however, successor to J. Denford as director of the same hospital, argues his case for including 'a trial of interpretations' in initial assessments. One common feature of assessments in organisational contexts is that they invite a shared or split transference: to the institution and the assessor. Excellent assessments can be hard, or even impossible 'acts' to follow, and poor assessments may put the applicant off the idea of therapy completely. The couple's experience of the assessment posed a challenge for the therapists.
