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9780197804964

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This book takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the research evidence and multidisciplinary knowledge relating to psychologically informed health care. We travel through psychology, medicine, nursing, and, most importantly, we get to hear human stories from patients who have traveled through healthcare services. Liza Morton's work is important as it highlights the need for a shift in the culture of healthcare to address psychological well-being and safety alongside physical treatment. * Dr. Lucy Bray, Professor of Child Health Literacy, Edge Hill University * Many of us enter the medical field with the goal of helping people through compassionate care. However, training is primarily focused on disease. Demanding healthcare environments risk burnout and compassion fatigue that may result in emotional distance between providers and those they care for. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Morton reminds us, ""Behind every step forward in medical progress lie countless human stories of people who must find the courage to live on the edge of medicine and often survival."" It provides a map of how to walk with those affected to maintain recognition of their whole person. It will give healthcare professionals the courage to counter historical norms in medical education and practice. * E Amin, MBChB, Associate Prof of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University of California, San Francisco * As a psychologist working with PTSD, suffering associated with LTCs is one of the most common difficulties faced by my clients. Dr Morton offers a deeply compassionate discussion that includes the complex needs of patients and medical professionals by focusing on the cultivation of relational safety within healthcare delivery. Through her own lived experience, professional expertise, polyvagal theory, and case examples she brings essential and transformational guidance that has the power to create lasting and meaningful change. It should be required reading for all medical professionals. It is a gift to patients looking for ways to advocate for healthcare rooted in the psychobiological wisdom inherent in us all. * Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Clinical psychologist and author of The Complex PTSD Workbook and The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook * In this innovative and heroic work, Dr Morton mentors us on a journey of discovery and empathy into the world of living with LTCs. Her compelling storytelling weaves powerful patient narratives with a rigorous review of research. This tour de force doesn't just describe a better healthcare system; it starts us building one, providing the resources needed to support the emotional and relational well-being of patients, families, and providers alike. This isn't just another book about healthcare-it's a vital catalyst for change that will reshape how we think about, treat, and live with chronic illness. It isn't just recommended reading-it's essential. * G. S. Thompson, MD, Chairman of Board of Directors, Polyvagal Institute, coauthor of Polyvagal Theory and the Developing Child, M.D ReDiscover in Lees Summit, USA * Dr Morton shares her patient and psychologist lens, as she provides a walk-through account of her healthcare experience as an individual with a long-term condition. This book offers clarity to the practical implications of the bidirectional relationship held between mind and body and promoting holistic practice. Appealing to different ways of learning, the book provides an array of models, case studies, reflective practice exercises, and specific ideas for intervention. A timely and fundamental read, that encourages compassion within self and toward others, on the shared endeavor to deliver psychologically informed and trauma informed healthcare. * Pauline Aiston, Chartered Health Psychologist and Clinical Lead for the ACHD Psychology Service, Bristol Heart Institute (BHI), University Hospitals Bristol and Weston * Liza Morton's perspective and her professional knowledge as a gifted psychologist and researcher shine through as she provides a comprehensive, essential guide for those in the medical field. This book lays out significant, yet often overlooked steps to making a real difference in the lives of individuals dealing with illness. The experiences of both the patient and provider are respectfully acknowledged. Liza clearly describes how this increased awareness and shift in practice, policy, and culture can lead to improved patient outcomes, both mentally and physically, and how it can often provide increased meaning and satisfaction to those in the field of medicine. * Tracy Livecchi, LCSW, Connecticut, New York, coauthor of Healing Hearts and Minds: A Holistic Approach to Coping Well with Congenital Heart Disease * In Beyond the Medical Gaze, Liza Morton examines medical care for chronic conditions, masterfully depicting the critical elements that influence both treatment and healing. From the essential relationship dynamics between healthcare personnel and patients, to the often-overlooked environmental factors of hospitalization, and complex biopsychosocial models for recovery, she offers a thorough reflection on holistic care. Drawing on her own and other patients' experiences, Morton presents a comprehensive framework for transforming care. Her coined term ""psychologically informed healthcare"" heralds a new era of medicine. It is an essential read for any healthcare institution committed to not only treating but also genuinely caring for its patients. * Lene Osmundsen, CPsychol, Clinical Health Psychologist, Norway, President ECHDO * I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Liza Morton for authoring this book, which advocates for a movement toward compassionate and psychologically informed healthcare, wherein patients, families, and clinicians feel safe, respected, and empowered. Alongside poignant vignettes, reflective exercises, and practical strategies, Dr. Morton adeptly interweaves her personal narrative into each section. Descriptions of her experiences as a patient, clinician, educator, researcher, and advocate will undoubtedly captivate readers from the outset. While advancements in modern medicine typically celebrate researchers and clinicians, this book equally honors patients and their families, whose contributions are indispensable to such progress. * Adrienne Kovacs, Clinical and Health Psychologist, Equilibria Psychological Health * Dr. Morton's is not only a remarkable life but one which gives her unique insights as a lifelong patient and as a counseling psychologist and researcher. This book is beautifully written in an accessible style that is full of ""aha"" moments. It's an incredibly important book for clinicians and other health professionals to gain a richer understanding of their patients' lived experiences; for policymakers to work past the cliches of favored but ineffective remedies to complex problems; and for academics to learn from someone who traverses the high hard ground of theory to the swampy lowlands of practical solutions with enviable ease. I hope it becomes the global bestseller in its field it deserves to be. * Professor Dolan OBE, Director Health Service 360; Originator, Last 1000 Days and EndPJparalysis patient safety campaigns, Oxford * Liza Morton is a true leader in this space. She captures what so many in our community are working to raise: you can physically save a life, but without fully addressing mental health, the journey remains incomplete. Her work shows how deeply experiences shape patient outcomes in ways that are too often overlooked. Liza has turned her own experience into work that is making an extraordinary difference in Scotland and around the world. Take a Chance on Me was the song playing the year she was born, and we are so grateful that so many took a chance on her. An incredible song for a beautiful soul. * Kate Doherty-Schmeck, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Rheumatic and Congenital Hearts (Global-ARCH), United States * Beyond the Medical Gaze is a powerful and timely contribution. Dr Morton's unique dual perspective as a lifelong patient and a Counselling Psychologist allows her to illuminate the need for psychologically informed care with remarkable clarity and compassion. It is accessible, full of insight, and rich with moments that make the reader pause and reflect. While its relevance is global, its message resonates even more deeply in developing countries, where healthcare systems often face resource limitations and many individuals lack awareness of their rights as patients. A must-read for clinicians, policy makers, and anyone committed to truly patient-centred care, I hope it receives the wide recognition it deserves. * S Mattos, MD PhD, Paediatric and Fetal Cardiologist, UCMF-Caduceus-CirCorReal Hospital Português de Beneficência, Brazil * This book will be highly valued in the contemporary era marked by the rise of AI and insurance-based healthcare systems; contexts that may constrain clinicians' ability to deliver care aligned with best practices. It offers a compelling exploration of the science of patient-centered care a field that remains underdeveloped and inconsistently applied across much of the world. By incorporating the perspectives of patients, families, clinicians, and researchers, Morton integrates the latest evidence and lived experiences, rendering it intellectually engaging and academically robust. An essential reference for the implementation of rights-based patient care, including in LMICs, where significant epidemiological and demographic transitions are reshaping healthcare delivery. * Dr Madhavankutty Nair, Dep of Health Services, Government of Kerala *

Author Information

Liza Morton, PhD, C. Psychol is a Chartered (BPS) and Registered Counselling Psychologist (HCPC) and a Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. Born with complete heart block and a hole in her heart, in a world first at the time, Liza was fitted with her first cardiac pacemaker at just 11 days old in 1978 and she has depended on pioneering medical treatment since. She is the co-author of Healing Hearts and Minds: A Holistic Approach to Coping Well with Congenital Heart Disease.

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