The basic issue in effective psychotherapy is the establishment of a therapeutic contract, which can be defined as an explicit, bilateral commitment to a well defined course of action. Therapeutic contracts have much in common with legal contracts such as mutual consent, valid consideration, competence, legal objects and sanctions. Therapeutic contracts are based on a decision to solve problems in order to reach a certain goal. Problemsolving techniques are a useful way to identify these problems, to set goals and to make a program in order to reach these goals. The therapeutic contracts themselves imply a written statement about the problems to be solved, the goals to be reached and what the therapist and client will do in order to reach these goals. A contract also implies an agreement on what will happed when one of the parties violates the contract. This proces of exploration, clarification and negotiation results in an affirmation by which the desired goal can be accomplished. It also implies that the therapist is no longer just the caretaker of the client. He now is an equal and mutual participant in the therapeutic process.