John Launer’s Narrative-Based Practice in Health and Social Care outlines a vision of how witnessing narratives, paying attention to them, and developing an ability to question them creatively, can make the person’s emerging story the central focus of health and social care, and of healing. 

This text gives an account of the practical application of ideas and skills from contemporary narrative studies to health and social care. Promoting narrative-based practice in everyday encounters with patients and clients, and in supervision, teaching, teamwork and management, it presents “Conversations Inviting Change,” an established narrative-based model of interactional skills. 

Underpinned by an account of theory from narrative studies and related fields, including communication theory and systems thinking, it is written for students and practitioners across a broad range of professions in primary and secondary health care and social care.

John's award-winning book "How Not to Be a Doctor: and other essays" has now been issued in a new paperback edition and can now be ordered here. It was originally published by the Royal Society of Medicine Press and was named as a Book of the Year by the British Medical Association.