'Giving' support is generally regarded as the most important function of self-help groups and has been described as caring and helpful relationships, mutual self-disclosure and empathic understanding.

The concept of 'mutual' support has also been defined to encompass the learning of coping strategies, having a sense of community or 'we-feeling', dealing with stigma, getting factual information, attaining a spirit of hope, and attaining self-confidence. Therefore, support appears to be a collective term for many of the helping processes that characterise self-help/mutual aid groups.