Abstract Introduction Patients' stories, the ways in which they describe illness, and the meaning of illness in the context of their lives, form the core of both the contemporary discipline of narrative medicine and the traditional practice of psychotherapy. The ability to elicit and shape patients' narratives requires specific skills essential to the implementation of humanistic values in medicine. Students need guidance in cultivating the capacity to communicate in ways that make patients feel accepted, cared for, empowered, and hopeful within the constraints of their medical conditions. The psychiatry clerkship directors at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and George Washington University School of Medicine have developed parallel clerkship activities that teach the skill of constructing narratives in doctor-patient communication. Methods This exercise structured student/patient interactions according to the principles of narrative medicine, narrative therapy, and psychotherapy. Each school required the students to choose a patient in their care and elicit the patient's life story. Students then wrote out the patient's life story, presented it to a preceptor, and finally presented it directly to the patient for comment. Results Of 18 students surveyed, using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = Strongly Agree) the statement “The narrative exercise is a useful way to learn psychotherapy skills” received an average score of 3.94. The statement “The narrative exercise should be required in the psychiatry clerkship” received an average score of 3.88. Discussion While the ultimate test of a diagnosis is the verification by tests or treatment outcome, the ultimate test of a patient-centered narrative is the patient's acceptance of the characterization of his or her experience. This narrative exercise successfully supplements the traditional, disease-centered history taking, and enhances students' ability to deliver patient-centered care. This publication presents the basic elements of the narrative exercise jointly developed, along with the specific modifications each school made to integrate the exercise into its overall curriculum.