The aim of this study was to explore how adolescents in ongoing psychotherapies prefer their therapists to interact with them when they are establishing a therapeutic bond. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with 14 patients. A hermeneutic-phenomenological approach was used to analyze interview transcripts. The participants' descriptions of important experiential dimensions in their interaction with their therapists clustered around five themes: the adolescents (1) feeling vulnerable and ambivalent in relationship with a potential helper when therapy started; the therapists (2) showed them that they were comfortable with being a therapist (3), strengthened their autonomy by establishing therapeutic boundaries, (4) showed that they recognized patients' individuality by respecting their personal boundaries, (5) helped them make their experiences understandable and meaningful, and (6) allowed mutuality and emotional closeness.

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We explored how adolescents experience assessment and diagnostic evaluation in psychotherapy, and the types and qualities of interaction associated with these activities. Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 adolescent clients in psychotherapy. Thematic analysis based on a reflexive phenomenological epistemology was used. The following themes were found: standardized assessment as (a) potentially obscuring contact with the unique personhood of the client, and (b) providing hope through trust in the therapist’s competence in understanding the problems they face. We found two other themes related to how the tension between the polarity of the first two was resolved: (c) degree of perceived relational authenticity allowing for collaboration during professional procedures, (d) pressure from systems outside the dyad influenced the interaction around assessment issues. The findings are discussed in relation to organization of mental health care services, developmental needs, research on psychotherapy process, and implications for psychotherapy integration.