User-oriented mental health reform in Sweden: featuring 'professional friendship'

In developing new forms for society-based support for mental health service users, authorities implemented a service in Sweden, called Personligt ombud (PO), with the assignment to support service users exercising their rights. The aim of this article is to describe what service users find to be significant features of their working relationships with their PO. Using a phenomenological approach, 23 users were interviewed sharing their experiences of their PO. The results show that service users describe their relationships with the PO as a 'professional friendship'. The friendship-like feature refers to reciprocity in sharing life experiences and forming a trustful relationship in which professional assistance can be offered, promoting well-being and recovery. Conclusions are that the PO provides a service that calls for re-interpretation of professional and user roles, where both give and receive.