ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the benefits of extending collaborative ethics to all aspects of our interactions with families, including meetings in our communities, inspired by Collaborative Helping Maps, Coordinated Management of Meaning, and Open Dialogue. Metaphorically, we place the parents at the head of the table, and apply the knowledge when designing our community meetings, that whoever speaks first decides the topic and direction, whoever speaks the language best has the most power, and the person who feels most secure has the greatest power. Several stories demonstrate dialogic communications and the production of knowledge with specific emphasis on how to pose influential questions and following basic rules about communication: We do not engage in meetings without the parents, except with the parents’ specific request. We do not issue statements without the patient or parents having read and accepted them first. We share the responsibility and the expert status with the parents.
