ABSTRACT
Though physical contact is a common element in many clinical encounters, this chapter is about the extent to which our minds can match our hands, and get in touch with the patient’s experience.
Group discussion of clinical narratives is a powerful method of learning. Members have to put themselves in the patient’s or parent’s shoes and at the same time accept that their peers see it dierently. Unlike in a classroom, there are no right answers. All perceptions are equally useful for exploration by the group. When this kind of reection is encouraged, students discover just how expert they can be at identifying with other people. is is not technical knowledge such as ‘psychology’ or ‘communication skills’; it is a capacity we all began to learn before we could talk.
