[The support approach as a specific professionnal position: example of patient education].

: The support approach was progressivley introduced in most professional sectors, namely those where the human relation is significant. The patient's therapeutic education is without any doubt an aspect of the support approach in the health sector. It is often presented as a help, in other words a psychological and/or social complement of the mediacl treatment. This support approach is expected to have useful and necessary effects, even economical results thanks to a better compliance with the treatment. But this support approach cannot be limited to prescriptions optimization nor to a goodwill device. Even though there is a risk of it being diverted from the values which characterize it, it is also a means of bringing change to which we have to be attentive. The aim of this paper is to establish some guidelines to understand first of all what support means and what characterizes this support position. We shall then identify the framework of interaction of this support approach. We shall also try to focus on the patient's therapeutic education.