Occupational therapy and psychiatry are natural allies. They come at the patient from different points of view, but with similar aims. Each must learn enough of the other's discipline to ask the right questions. Mutual staff support promotes effective patient care. In psychiatry co-therapy can provide such support. It is possible to enhance reciprocal respect through clear, frank, frequent feedback. Where collegial relationships are inherently unequal, special attention must be paid to finding appropriate forms and ways to anticipate and resolve conflict.