We live in turbulent times, when the demand for qualified psychological help and support is constantly growing. The recognized first place in prevalence among psychological disorders belongs to depressive spectrum disorders. This article talks about the first steps in working with depression when contacting a psychologist. The first step will be an initial interview and collection of information so that the psychologist can formulate an initial picture of your psychological life. Next comes clarification of the request, or its formulation during a consultation, together with a psychologist. The request is drawn up based on the problems expressed and the reasons why you decided to contact a specialist. A request is a determination of the general direction of work, taking the desired course. Depending on this general direction, the goals of therapy are further determined. A request can include one or several goals. The peculiarity of goals is their specificity, achievability, and measurability. “Becoming more active” is not a goal, not specific, and it is not clear how to achieve it in work and how we will understand that the goal has been achieved. “Develop skills and habits that will allow me to independently maintain my tone and activity” is half the goal, already specific, already achievable, but how do you understand that the required level of self-regulation has been achieved? Still needs to be added. “Develop skills and habits that will allow me to independently maintain my tone and activity, as a result of this, start going for a walk at least twice a week” - now it’s ideal. A good goal is measurable, specific, within the realm of what is achievable, and the path to it is clear. You can work. Depending on the request, therapy can begin in different ways. So, if the most disturbing thing now is the lack of strength and desires and sleep disturbances, then work with a psychologist will first develop in line with behavioral activation. This set of exercises and training is aimed at changing the daily routine and attitude towards this routine in a depressed person, it includes keeping a diary of mastery and pleasure, as well as planning available activities and carefully discussing possible problems along the way of their implementation, as well as discussing the client's reactions if there is a problem will happen. This emphasis on behavior in case of such problems is important, since it allows in the long term to improve the client’s condition, add energy and motivation to continue working. It is important to note that the stages of behavioral activation also include a cognitive component - finding and recording negative thoughts, discussing them during the session. If behavioral activation is not urgently required, then the first steps in the work will focus on finding out what negative emotions bother the client, in what situations they appear, and what negative thoughts these emotions are associated with. Discussion and transformation of negative thoughts into adaptive ones will create a frame of work for the session. You can schedule a consultation with me if you are experiencing depression or other psychological problems.