In this article the author addresses the possibility of pretreatment change as a viable first intervention for solution‐oriented counseling approaches. Using the interview questions and format of Weiner‐Davis, de Shazer, and Gingerich (1987), 82 clients were surveyed to ascertain if a change in their problem context had occurred between the time an appointment was made for counseling and the time they come to the first session. The results indicate that most of the clients can identify desirable pretreatment change with the assistance of a counselor. Bateson's (1979) “difference that makes a difference” and client expectancy are posited as explanations for the client's perceiving pretreatment change as sign