Publications

Breast cancer is an unexpected disease that affects one in eight women in Spain (AECC, 2019).
It is estimated that in 2021 there will be 33,375 new cases in Spain (SEOM, 2021). The
diagnosis of cancer can unleash many emotions, including stress, anxiety and loss of self-
confidence, that patients often do not know how to manage, leaving them “feeling lost”, lonely
and “afraid of dying”. Hence, the need for tools to help them take charge of their situation,
make decisions, solve problems and take back control of their lives, all of which are aspects
that define an empowered patient.

How does coaching help empower these women?

What to do when diagnosed with a breast tumour?
What lies ahead? Where can I seek help?
Who do I tell and how?
What should I believe from everything I am told?
And what can I do to help myself get better?

At some point in their life, one in eight women will face breast cancer. This guide offers a new way to take control of this situation, naturally, practically and proactively. It includes a series of guidelines and remedies that will help the reader find the answers they need. Teresa Ferreiro addressed her tumour as another one of life’s projects, with a starting date and a conclusion, without letting it overwhelm her life. As she says, «I don’t want the tumour to be part of our daily dinner table conversation». On the day she received the diagnosis she started her research and learned to find the answers that the doctors did not give her: the causes, alternative therapies, techniques and remedies to help her through the treatment as best as possible. Teresa’s experiences and suggestions are brought together in these pages in order to help other people in the same situation.

Throughout history, patients’ needs have evolved, and with them, the communication and relational aspects that define the doctor-patient relationship. This article analyzes the relational models from different authors and their communicative characteristics, analyzing the communication skills necessary in each case to, from there, delve into the profile of the 21st century patient, characterized by their desire to feel empowered and acquire tools that allow them to take control of their process and decide wisely. As a second step, coaching is presented as a new relational model. The confusion surrounding health coaching,both from its working methodology perspective as for its objectives when dealing with the patient, leaves a void in terms of the approach to be used. This is why, and based on the research carried out with breast cancer patients, this article proposes coaching for patients as a new relationship model and a new type of coachingwith its own and specific characteristics, that puts on the spotlight the patients’ future possibilities and allows the individual, through practical tools, to regain confidence and dedicate a space for self-reflection and growth