This article addresses the question of what is a “good” conversation by analyzing “poor” conversations. During a project on family therapy with refugee families, we often experienced what we labeled as “poor” conversations. We present examples of a variety of such conversations, which we then analyze with reference to therapeutic maps and central concerns of the therapists. We describe four patterns of therapist/client relationships that emerged from this analysis. The main focus of our discussion is to clarify when “poor” conversations may be an important part of the therapeutic process, and when and how they should be avoided. We believe that the issues we raise are central to therapeutic work in general and not just to therapy with refugee families. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved

[No Keywords available]

refugee Norway psychological aspect methodology Marital Therapy Verbal Behavior Professional-Family Relations Family Therapy human Refugees Life Change Events life event human relation family Adolescent Domestic Violence male case report Acculturation female cultural factor Article adult Child