Harnessing Placebo Effects and Neuroplasticity in Healthcare Coaching

What is Healthcare Coaching?

If I say the word ‘doctor’ to you — in a medical, not academic, sense— you’ll probably think of someone in a white coat with a stethoscope who makes medical assessments and prescribes treatments and drugs to patients. Which, of course, is what they do do

But a word that probably wouldn’t come to mind when you think of doctors is ‘coach’. Yet, that’s the role that my guest on this episode, Dr Ollie Hart, thinks is a key part of helping patients live longer, healthier lives. Having worked as a general practitioner in the UK’s NHS National Health Service, Ollie realised that in many cases, what would help patients weren’t prescriptions but rather the kind of support that you might, in other contexts, expect from coaches

He’s the co-founder of a Healthcare Coaching business that seeks to empower patients as part of the support they receive. As you’ll hear, he’s not suggesting coaching as a replacement for all forms of medical treatment, but for certain conditions, supporting patients through coaching can be incredibly powerful in increasing overall well-being.

In our discussion, we explore Ollie’s medical career, how he came to see the value in healthcare coaching and how and where it can help patients. As well, of course, where it is less effective.

As you’ll hear, several decades ago — let’s not worry about exactly how many — Ollie and I were classmates. And because one or two of our teachers liked to have the class sat in alphabetical order — presumably so they didn’t need to memorise anyone’s name, we’d often sit next to each other.

Thanks to LinkedIn, we recently reconnected and got talking. In doing so, we realised that although we’re working in very different fields, the fundamental principle of thinking about the humans whose behaviour we’re trying to influence — in his case, in a medical context, in mine a compliance and ethics one — is identical, which is why I really wanted to get him onto the show.

I think this is a fascinating approach that illustrates how, if we want to solve problems — particularly those obviously relating to humans — where a behavioural approach of understanding what I refer to as ‘not how we would like people to behave, but how they are likely to behave’ can be really powerful. And not just in the medical field. The ideas Ollie is sharing have a much wider resonance.

Resources
To learn more about Ollie and his work:

Peak Health Coaching - www.peakhealthcoaching.com

Ollie on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-hart-47669340/

Ollie on Twitter/X - https://twitter.com/peakhealthcoach

Other episode
If you liked this episode, then you might also be interested in:

Niall Downey, a cardiothoracic surgeon who became an airline pilot - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/niall-downey-on-mistakes/
Dr Gordon Caldwell on medical bureaucracy - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-gordon-caldwell-on-medical-bureaucracy/