In mental health, peer support was identified as a valuable resource (Davidson, 1999; Davidson et al., 1999; Davidson & Strauss, 1992; Forchuk, Jewell, et al., 1998; Tooth et al., 1997; William & Collins, 1999). The nurse-client relationship has been identified as the essential instrument in mental health nursing (Lego, 1980; Peplau. 1992). However, research related to the recipient’s perspective in peer and nursing support relationships is limited. An ethnographic method (Leininger, 1985, 1990) was used to describe and explore supportive mental health relationships. Informants from two consumer- run organizations volunteered to share their peer and nursing support experiences. Experiential knowledge related to mental illness differentiated peer and nursing support. Peer and nursing support relationships developed or deteriorated through three overlapping phases. Therapeutic relationships generally had a positive impact on recipients’ perceptions of stress, coping, and mental heath. The opposite occurred in tenuous relationships. These findings suggest both types of relationships are unique; important to facilitate consumers’ recovery and promote mental health, and should be recognized and promoted by professionals and the mental health care system.
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