La parole de l'autre dans l'entretien clinique

As a method, clinical interview has given way to numerous publications and is taught to future practitioners in various professions. However, it is not only a method: as a shared professional practice, it is also a genre based upon legitimised practices and contributing to create a community of practice. In this respect, it echoes the voices of others. Moreover, clinical interview is a communication situation between two or more participants. Nevertheless, it cannot be reduced to face-to-face interactions. From a dialogical standpoint, it consists of a dialogue, which develops between present participants but also with absent third parties. Hence, it expands beyond the present instant of the encounter. The interweaving of a dialogue between present participants and a distant dialogue with absent third parties creates a complex dialogical space, which is part of the therapeutic process.