The First Interview
The first interview is a key process, because on it depends whether a therapeutic relationship will be established and, to some extent, of what kind and quality this relationship may be. […] S. Nacht, one of the major French psychoanalysts, stated that the patient does not care so much for what we say, but for what we are. […] During the interview we must not forget that the person who is before us is our fellow human, with dignity and rights. So, the therapist - patient relationship must be a relationship of parity.
[…] Sakellaropoulos P., "History Taking - The First Interview"
-----------------------------
The first telephone reception of the request for therapy is made by the specially trained secretariat of the Institute. Within a week of the telephone communication, the first session with a specialized associate of the relevant department is scheduled.
More details per department:
Read more: The First Interview
The Psychoanalytic Prism
P. Sakellaropoulos
More specifically, in regard to the treatment field, the meaning of "psychoanalytical prism" requires the therapists’ firm belief that psychological unconscious mechanisms are indeed those that act in all areas of the presenting symptoms and are those, which if amended by appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions, will bring about the expected results. Within this context, the emotional involvement of the therapist is necessary and acts positively, especially in cases of psychosis, where the mechanisms of projective identification and empathy are recognized as particularly important, as I will mention afterwards. The psychoanalytic prism presupposes a faith, which is the result of appropriate experiences, in the existence and operation of the unconscious and the possibility of communication of the unconscious with that of the patient. Only then can the therapist seek a reason, a motive behind the conduct disorder and a symbolism in each symptom: elements that will help him to adjust his own manipulations.