Background Young adults increasingly seek help for mental health problems. In 2016, a district psychiatric centre in Norway started a brief treatment program to provide early and effective help for moderate depression and anxiety. Aim Exploring patients' and therapists' experiences of brief therapy, especially how the time limitation influences the treatment process. Methods Individual interviews with 12 patients and focus group interviews with eight therapists analyzed using systematic text condensation. Results The results constitute five themes: (1) Time-limit as a frame for targeted change, (2) Clarifying expectations and accountability, (3) Shared agreement on a defined treatment-project, (4) Providing tools instead of searching for causes, and (5) Learning to cope-not being cured. Conclusion Time-limitation in brief therapy appeared to play a positive role, helping the therapists to structure the therapeutic process and strengthening patients' motivation. Shared understanding and activation during brief therapy may reinforce patients' responsibility and expectations to achieve individual goals. Brief therapy can be viewed as the start of a personal process towards "mastering life as it is". More research is needed to investigate the patients' long-term outcomes after treatment and to shed light on the potential for, and limitations of, mastering everyday-life.