ABSTRACT
Once the patient’s history has been shared, it is time to create a plan with the client. The goal in narrative medicine is to reach a new narrative together, in partnership, co-creating a way for the story to continue. In order to reach this new narrative, it is important to work within the client’s world view, even if it is greatly different from the practitioner’s view.
Problems in Parentheses are further explored in this chapter, with a focus on how to deal with a client’s anxieties through reassurance and validation. A Case Story excerpt from Dr. Launer’s book illustrates this by describing a family overwhelmed by caring for a child with eczema. Although the patient in the story is human, the dynamics and narrative are similar to commonly seen situations in veterinary medicine.
This chapter discusses how to consider using the life experience each practitioner brings to their work, and explains how self-disclosure can help us connect to clients as fellow pet owners and not only as veterinarians and staff.
