Facilitative Affiliation: Nurse-Client Interactions That Enhance Healing

Abstract

Facilitative affiliation is a new concept developed to capture the essence of effective nurse-client inter-actions, regardless of the client population or the practice setting. This concept has been synthesized within the theoretical framework of Modeling and Role-Modeling. Defining attributes have been identified as (a) presence, (b) assessment of needs based on the client's self-care knowledge and perceived resources, (c) creative individualized interventions, (d) selective normative disregard, (e) mutual trust, v) nurturance, and (g) advocacy. Facilitative aflliation is dejned as any nurse-client interaction in which the nurse assesses the client's needs based on that individual's self-care knowledge and perceived resources and creates individualized interventions based on those identijied needs. The relationship is then characterized by availability, nurturance, and advocacy on the part of the nurse and a sense of mutual trust between the client and the nurse. Several client outcomes have been posited including that of enhanced healing.