In the context of therapy first impressions are very important. It is often the case that a client seeking any form of psychotherapy may have been coping for a very long time with various life problems on their own. These life problems may have become a "'burden"' for member of the client's family and friendship group due to the frequency with which the client talks about them, as such a client will commonly feel that they do not get listened to. Indeed the very act of having a someone just to listen can have quite dramatic effects from the very first session. Within counselling based approaches, that is the person centred approach an essential component, one which should apply to all forms of therapy is to put yourself in your client's shoes.
