From the author: This is part of the article “Money. The therapist’s identity: boundaries and limitations” Fully published in the journal of the East European Association of Existential Therapy “EXISTENTIA: psychology and psychotherapy” 2011 (4) p. 216-231Changing the amount. A change in amount can occur for a number of reasons. Natural increase - “everything goes up in price.” It can also be called planned. Typically, the therapist warns his clients about such an increase, sometimes even several months in advance. The moment of increase on this basis can be timed to coincide with the completion of one contract, when a new contract is concluded. Some of my colleagues have reduced the cost of consultations due to the crisis. Those. what I call a planned change in the cost of a consultation is a response to processes in society, to the nature of time. The change in amount may be associated with changes in the life of that particular client and correlates with dynamics in the therapeutic relationship. Sometimes in our relationship with a client, in his life situation, something changes. And the previous agreement on the cost of consultation ceases to be relevant and becomes obsolete. So, with one client, during the initial contract, I offered an amount higher than usual, which was my sensual response to her resistance to therapy, partly a formal entry into it. At the end of the initial contract, the situation was different: the client’s motivation became obvious, and her awareness and courage aroused my respect. Her financial situation became more difficult. Therefore, when concluding a contract for a new period, I myself offered a smaller amount. Which was gratefully received by the client. There are cases when I initially feel that the therapeutic amount will have to be changed. So, when the client himself does not raise the issue of payment when making an appointment over the phone, I always note this. Sometimes this happens because the client is completely absorbed in his difficulty. But more often this is evidence that the client finds it difficult to talk openly about money. This means that the process of determining the cost of a consultation that is adequate for both parties can be more complex. If the client did not ask about money over the phone, then I raise this topic myself at the beginning of the meeting. Here is an example of one of these dialogues: T. Do you know that my usual fee is 700 rubles? K. 700 - 500 rubles, they told me.T. We can discuss this.K. No, it's not worth it. Every work is worth as much as they ask for it.T. However, I am open to discussion. The client does not want to discuss the amount. I notice her constraint at the moment when I invite her to talk about the cost of the meeting. She should be helped in this somehow, but not in a hurry, because... The client’s readiness to invest is not yet clear, and, therefore, the question of his motivation for therapy arises. I choose an open position, but not an active one. I propose that the contract also be considered open for now. This means that there is agreement for only one subsequent meeting. At the end of the second meeting, the client talks about her intention to come once every 2 weeks, explaining financial difficulties. I understand that being in therapy is not yet a personal choice of the client, but the result of the pressure of difficult life circumstances and persistent recommendations from friends. It is difficult for the client to be in the process of therapy; she wants to slip out of it. And since after the first meeting the emotional severity subsided, she would like to check how she would live these 2 weeks without therapy. A dubious desire, in my opinion, but it is her right. At the next meeting after a break of two weeks, based on facts, I raise the question of the appropriateness of this procedure, and propose to more consciously determine your attitude towards therapy in general. The client's choice is to be in therapy. He agrees that meeting every week is more effective. And now she herself raises the question of a change in payment: she talks about her money and payment options, asks me about my options. In the case of a relationship with one client, work to bring the payment amount towards the corresponding realitywas of great importance. An open conversation and a change in the fee helped the client reevaluate her position and many of her relationships. She realized that she often took on too much. And depressive moods and fatigue are the result, among other things, of overload in relationships. So, it is important to monitor whether the payment amount remains appropriate to the therapeutic process. Carefully choose the time for changes, understand the reasons for them. Change the amount in dialogue with the client. Money with change. Sometimes clients come with an amount that requires change. How to feel about this and what to do? At the end of the first meeting, I approvingly note if the client’s money is exactly the same as in our agreement at the beginning of the meeting, I support this correct trend. For the primary client, I always have change in case it is needed. At the same time, when giving money for change, I make sure to explain why the money in fact must correspond to the amount under the contract: I may not have change, composure is desirable for therapy, it is worth preparing for therapy. Nevertheless, there are precedents. Therefore, a client with money requiring change is always a question. What does it mean for a client to arrive with money and change? What is this about: about him, about us? How much attention should you pay to this? How to react to this right now? The client does not have the exact amount. - What should we do? - I ask. - Take it for yourself, and next time I’ll pay extra. - Well, I’ll take it, but it will only be once. It is difficult for me to keep such accounting. Next time, all the money is mine. I agree. But after a series of meetings - again “money with change.” “Well, they are mine,” I say. - How do you feel? - I feel good. At the next meeting, on my initiative, we will clarify how it feels - I feel good about giving more money than agreed upon. What kind of money is this? Spare money. For whom are they superfluous? How does he do the same thing in life, with whom, why? Something is becoming clearer. The client appears as a kind of merchant throwing away money. And in life there is inattention and arrogance towards money. Soon again the amount without change is 1000 instead of 800. - I am again forced to take “extra money”. Maybe it’s worth renegotiating the contract? He’s silent. At the next meeting, the client himself raises the issue of his relationship with money. He wants to understand his disdain for them. When he throws money around with women, what does he want? What does he get when he does this? Who does he feel like? What will be its order? And in therapy with money, greater order is established - money without change. Behind this order is a more conscious client’s attitude towards money, towards people, towards relationships. Or another sketch of the first two meetings with a client: K. I have 1000 rubles. Sorry, I was told that you need to have money without change.T. Yes, I don't have change.K. Take 1000.T. No, I won’t take money beyond the contract.K. Here I have 200 rubles. Maybe you'll take it? T. No, I won’t take 200 instead of 700. Give it back at the next meeting.K. I can convey it through M.T. No, bring it yourself anyway. I know I will use this clutter to my advantage at a future meeting. Next time the client will have to pay 1400. It is obvious to me that this is similar to her life situation, where she did not invest anything for some period, and then she had to pay in full. Therefore, I easily agree, because... in my opinion, for our relationship, for therapy, this is more useful than if I formally invited her to go and change money. At the end of the second meeting I use this parallelism. The client accepts my comparisons with agreement. And this time he pays, giving away 1,400 rubles, laughing at himself, at his connivance. Becomes more open and friendly. Most of my clients are not psychologists. And the rules of therapy enter our relationship gradually. The fact that the client brings an amount without change as payment is his concern for the therapist, for the productive use of therapy time. But the client does not always take into account the interests of another person; it is enough_3/