Ellen Reinke presents the fundamentals and techniques of the psychoanalytic interview in this book, which represents the initial communication between therapists and patients. As an exploration of the possibilities for treatment, the interview plays a central role in therapy and serves as the first opportunity to flexibly apply the psychoanalytic method to the specific circumstances of each patient. To provide guidance for this important starting point in therapy, the author introduces both the initial interview based on Hermann Argelander and the structural interview according to Otto F. Kernberg, illustrating both with numerous practical examples. She addresses the epistemological dimension of the interview and explains the key principles of psychoanalytic theory that are essential for the initial conversation.