ABSTRACT
The setting and context will shape the nature of the meeting of client and therapist. The therapy setting needs to hold the therapeutic relationship, it needs to be sufficiently supportive for the client and the therapist. Clients come to therapy for different reasons. Most self-refer or are referred because they want to be, but some because the referrer wants them to be. The latter might include some form of mandatory therapy due to a certain presenting problem such as ‘anger management’, a management referral due to a work performance issue or a trainee psychotherapist/counsellor who has to complete a number of therapy hours as part of their training. The context of the referral, the setting and the client’s expectations are all part of what will shape the relationship prior to when the client first walks through the therapist’s door.
