This extraordinary new series fills a void in practitioner development and well-being. The books take a reflective step back from the tick-box, target-driven and increasingly regulated world of 21st century health practice; and invite us to revisit what health and health practice actually are. Building carefully on the science and philosophy of health, each book addresses the messy, complex and often chaotic world of real-life health practice and offers an ancient but now almost revolutionary understanding for students and experienced practitioners alike: that health practice is a fundamentally creative and compassionate activity. The fourth book in the series, The Integrated Practitioner: Integrating Everything, considers the 'we', the 'me' and the 'other' perspectives of books 1-3 and integrates everything into 'health practice' as a single entity. It recognises the multifaceted nature of healthcare, its different constraints and varied pressures, but also views it from a new perspective, fostering a happier, healthier and more skilful whole within the real-life, complex and often messy world of health practice.

Introduction to the series -- Why are these workbooks needed? -- Why did I write them? -- What will be in them? -- What perspectives and approaches will they use? -- Points and prizes: something for nothing -- Provisos -- Chapter 1: The perspective of 'other' -- Tools or tyrants? -- Chapter 2: Health knowledge -- A brief word of warning -- What do we know about health? -- Health as a relational entity -- Choosing what we see -- Testing our truths -- Knowledge and power -- Why is this important to health practice? -- Chapter 3: Health beliefs -- Health beliefs and explanatory models -- Using explanatory models skilfully -- Conflicts and dissonance -- Integrating cultures and beliefs into our practice -- Chapter 4: Information and guidelines 39 o The information explosion 40 o The effect of the information explosion in practice 41 o Guidelines 43 o Integrating information and guidelines into our practice 45 Chapter 5: Time and resources -- The problem of 'fairness' -- Practitioners, not priests 48 o The big (and small) issues -- Prioritising and choosing -- Mindful dedication -- Being fi rm about what we cannot do -- Acting effectively -- Chapter 6: Regulations and targets -- Targets 61 -- Integrating regulations and targets into our practice -- Chapter 7: Organisations and teams -- Organisations as tools and tyrants -- Motivation -- The functions of health organisations -- Dysfunctional organisations -- Assessing our organisations -- How can we help our organisations work more effectively? -- Integrating organisations and teams -- Chapter 8: Space and the environment -- What does our space say? -- Changes in health practice space -- Therapeutic environments -- Making consulting space more therapeutic -- Making hospital environments more therapeutic -- Integrating our space into our practice -- Chapter 9: 'Effectiveness' -- How do we assess effectiveness? -- An empirical enquiry of effectiveness -- An interpretive enquiry of effectiveness -- Looking for 'evidence' of effectiveness -- Being wary of power claims dressed as knowledge claims -- Integrating and balancing approaches to health practice -- Conclusion: integrated harmonic balance with the other -- The 'other' as tyrants -- The crucial importance (and power) of 'me' -- Integrating the 'other' into our practice.