At the « Maison des Adolescents » de Bobigny, Casita, the reception process is a central element of the treatment setting. Carried out by a pluridisciplinary duo of staff members, who ensure a plurality of readings of the adolescent’s suffering, it is carried out in several appointments, generally over the course of a few weeks. Using a clinical vignette, we will try to show the fundamental functions of the procedural work of receiving, both as an evaluation of the request for treatment, but also as a moment of elaboration before any orientation towards treatment