The author describes the function of the General Practitioner (GP) practice in providing a secure base which can promote and sustain the development of a working alliance in the therapeutic work of counsellors practicing in the setting. The contribution of the counsellor in facilitating the development of a secure base through the relationships and reflective spaces that are established with GPs and other health care professionals is highlighted. Therapeutic techniques deriving from the work of Michael Balint, which foster an essential equality in the therapeutic relationship and value the patient's independent discoveries are outlined, and a case example illustrates how an analytic attitude based on these principles can on occasions result in a benign regression that results in a New Beginning for the patient. The GP setting which provides a secure base and an opportunity for milieu therapy is shown to have made a significant contribution to the therapeutic process.