True Tales of Organisational Life - 9781782201892

The context in which healthcare is delivered continues to be one of extreme organizational turbulence and increasing workload, all factors exacerbating the anxiety being felt by staff about the ability of healthcare systems to keep either them, or their patients, truly safe. At the same time there is an increased focus on so called “failures of compassion” in healthcare delivery. These factors create a context in which punishment or scapegoating has become a default position. The need for a space in which creative conversations about care delivery can promote flexibility, hope and resilience has never been greater.

This book draws on many years’ experience providing psychology services to healthcare staff and describes the ways in which this space was created to strengthen the capacity to withstand suffering, while acknowledging the creativity and meaningfulness of healthcare work. The application of systemic and narrative psychology to develop interventions at an individual, team, group and organizational level will be described. The use of these interventions, to develop caregivers’ confidence to manage the relationship with their patients, and with themselves, as opportunities for healing and compassion, is considered. Case studies illuminate the work described and the link between storytelling and health is explored.