Interactive practices between professionals and forced migrants inside an Italian reception association

The study has focused on the interactive practices between professionals and forced migrants into a NGO for the welcome of asylum seekers and refugees. Specifically, it was aimed to collect the different relational configurations that emerged from the interaction between professionals’ queries and forced migrants’ replies in 18 consultations divided in: legal consultations (N = 6), health consultations (N = 6) and social consultations (N = 6). Consultations have been audio-recorded and literally transcribed. Data were analyzed using the sequential analysis of interactions and by coding sequences ‒ professionals’ queries and forced migrants’ replies ‒ through a list of communicative behaviors adapted from the therapeutic model of Grasso and coworkers (2004). Regardless of the type of consultation, the results showed some concordat patterns between the practices of the professionals and the communicative behaviors of the forced migrants. These patterns showed that when the professionals used interactive modes for leading forced migrants along the bureaucratic paths imposed by the asylum system, forced migrants showed a more passive – collaborative or acquiescent ‒ profile. However, when the professionals proposed some listening and negotiating spaces, forced migrants assumed a more active – even if sometimes ambiguous ‒ role, demonstrating the need to be heard not only as a “user” but also as a person.