Anti-Oppressive Health Coaching: Awareness of Power in Nurse-Patient Relationships
Abstract
Health coaching is a nursing intervention that supports patients in managing chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. Its primary goal is to empower patients by equipping them with the knowledge and strategies necessary for effective self-management. Success in this context must be defined by the patients themselves. By critically reflecting on the power dynamics within the health coaching relationship, nurses can gain deeper insight into their patients’ experiences and meet them where they are in their health journey. Through this reflection, health coaches have the opportunity to practice anti-oppressive nursing, enriching the health coaching relationship and promoting patient-centered care. In this paper, Paulo Freire’s philosophy, which proposes that knowledge of reality
facilitates the transformation of reality, is drawn on to argue that health coaching can be an anti-oppressive nursing practice. Freire's philosophy is the foundation of the concept of empowerment, making it an appropriate framework to examine the potential of anti-oppressive health coaching. According to Freire (2005), examining the power dynamics within relationships is crucial for
creating an emancipatory practice. By engaging in discussions, reflections, and naming their health realities, nurses and patients can actively work to foster a collaborative process of learning and knowing, empowering patients to make informed health decisions that challenge oppressive systems.
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