Patient narratives: a micro-interactional analysis

The use of narrative as a therapeutic tool is well established in many forms of counseling and psychotherapy. Similarly, it forms a significant element of many holistic consultation approaches. The value of patient narratives are recognized by many practitioners working in primary care too, but opportunities for its utilization can be limited by the practicalities of working within conventional healthcare structures. This article presents a micro-interactional analysis of the ways in which patients routinely frame and self-manage their narratives in the context of primary care encounters, and explores some of the behavioral motifs utilized by practitioners in the management of narrative-based interactions.