From hospital to community: bridging therapeutic relationships

The 'Bridge to Discharge' project evolved from a participatory research project. The team included public health nurses, in-patient schizophrenia program nurses and mental health consumers. The project focused on therapeutic relationships and used Peplau's theory of Interpersonal Relations. A broad perspective of therapeutic relationships was used that explicitly included both peer and professional support. The theoretical approach is described and illustrated with a case study.