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The number of applicants seeking treatment at the Sigmund Freud Institute has grown to an ever-increasing excess above the clinic's limited capacity, necessitating months of waiting. To deal with this situation, walk-in interviews of twenty to thirty minutes have, since the beginning of 1972, been utilized before the rather costly psychodiagnostic procedure. Argelander discusses the potential psychoanalytic relevance of this new arrangement. There is an analogy to so-called 'Balint groups' in that, under favorable circumstances, the psychoanalytically oriented brief interview offers the opportunity of working interpretatively with the patient's 'unconscious presentation' (in its situational staging). Goldschmidt details the history and development of the walk-in interview. Kennel discusses the processes of understanding and communication. Using a case example, he demonstrates that the psychoanalytic dialogue can unfold even under these circumstances, so that the outlines of current unconscious conflicts show up against the background of a life history. Fischer presents three instances of patient resistance which could not be resolved in this context and thus thwarted the brief interview. Eckstaedt elaborates specific structures of the two hundred sixty-two walk-in patients of the first half year on the basis of objective data collected about patients and therapists. Employes, students, and academicians constitute the three largest subgroups of the clientele. There is clear evidence for a connection between social status, class-specific educational background, and the capability of articulating the need for psychotherapeutic help.