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The philosophy of Martin Buber, the author of the seminal text I and Thou, offers profound insights into the dialogical approach to family therapy and research, in particular the understanding of the moment-to-moment relational encounters between therapist and client, or researcher and participant. This paper provides an introduction to Buber's dialogical philosophy of relation as based on his extensive writing. It opens Buber's scholarship beyond the ideas of the I-It and I-Thou relationships, to explore a relational process involving an ongoing movement between I-It and I-Thou. The author's conceptualisation suggests that Buber's poetic terms reveal different layers of this dialogical process that may lead to intersubjective moments, those which offer dialogical knowing and the possibility of transformation. The author proposes that such an understanding may increase the therapist's and researcher's awareness, sensitivity and attunement to this dialogical process and to moments of dialogical knowing.

This paper focuses on the clinical practice of open dialogues in Finland and articulates some challenges and resonances for clinicians of this way of working. It is a collaborative paper based on a series of reflecting conversations in a North–South dialogue between four Finnish family therapists and an Australian family therapist. The paper begins with an overview of the context of open dialogues in Finland. It then introduces each individual Finnish therapist, followed by dyadic reflecting conversations about the work, before moving to a joint North–South dialogue where all voices join together in responding to each other's contributions. The clinical practice of open dialogues is revealed as ways of thinking, doing and being in relation to self, client, family, networks, and colleagues. Mutual understanding between all involved in the work emerges as a core theme. The paper offers the clinical wisdom of the Finnish therapists to those interested in adapting this way of working to the Australian and New Zealand context.

In the family therapy literature there is increasing interest in the dialogical approach, particularly as it becomes well-grounded in psychotherapy research. One embodiment is ‘open dialogues’, which has developed over a 30-year period in Western Lapland, Finland. This paper outlines my experience of visiting Keropudas Hospital in Tornio, Finland, the birthplace of open dialogues. It explores the seven theoretical principles of open dialogues, associated elements of clinical practice, and the therapist use of self. The author utilises these aspects to reflect on dialogical moments through words and images based on three conceptual themes, which illustrate the relevance of open dialogues for family therapy practitioners and their contexts.