Table of Contents

Introduction
Understanding Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Evidence-based Communication and Interpersonal Skills
The Safe and Effective Practice of Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Understanding Potential Barriers to the Safe and Effective Practice of Communication and Interpersonal Skills
The Learning and Educational Context of Communication and Interpersonal Skills
The Environmental Context of Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Population and Diversity Contexts of Communication and Interpersonal Skills
Beyond Technique

About the Author

Professor Shirley Bach is Head of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Brighton with responsibility for a wide range of health professional education. Previously she was head of post-graduate studies and has developed curriculum for undergraduate and pre-registration courses in a variety of subject domains. Nursing experience outside of the UK, in acute care settings and in primary care has given her a rich background from which to draw on in supporting the curricular of future nursing courses. In the past, she has specialised in health psychology and the application of psychology to health and illness settings. Recently, she has promoted the development of caring sciences from a European perspective. Since 2008 she has been lead professional editor for the Transforming Nursing Practice series. Dr Alec Grant is Reader in Narrative Mental Health in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Brighton. He qualified as a mental health nurse in the mid-1970s and went on to study psychology, social science and psychotherapy. He is widely published in the fields of ethnography, autoethnography, narrative inquiry, clinical supervision, cognitive behavioural psychotherapy, and communication and interpersonal skills. His current and developing scholarly interests coalesce broadly in the area of narrative research, and postmodern and poststructural developments in qualitative inquiry, in mental health and other healthcare areas.