After making empathic contact, I conduct a mental status examination in order to arrive at as comprehensive an evaluation as possible in the initial hour. I assess motivation, capacity for insight, flexibility, frustration tolerance along with an understanding of the presenting problem and symptom constellation. I attempt to see how affects are handled, thoughts are presented, what mood is prevalent and how well or poorly I am related to. Resistances are initially bypassed while attempting to ease the person into the therapeutic encounter.