In our current understanding of the first interview with an adult, the consultant's response to the first interpretation plays an important role in the analyst's decision to offer him or her analysis. The origin of this possibility for the analyst to give an interpretation from the first interview can be traced back to the controversy between Melanie Klein and Anna Freud on the subject of child psychoanalysis. In this debate, Anna Freud believed, contrary to Melanie Klein, that a preparatory period of introduction to psychoanalysis was necessary to create a therapeutic alliance with the child. Such introductory periods are indeed common, but their purpose is to create a space for play, not a therapeutic alliance. Adult analysts owe this important concept to another child analyst, Winnicott.