This paper is sought to make explicit conceptual distinctions that underlie the hoped-for translation of social support into a prescriptive theory. Various concepts of social support and its components that can be operationalized into nursing practice are reviewed. Reports of social support intervention programs have been summarized to make a baseline framework of social support prescriptions. The majority participants/recipients of social support interventions were caregivers of patients, persons under stressful situations and health problems and others. Social support intervention programs designed four to eight week sessions of from one and a half to 2 hours. Almost all the group approaches included emotion, affirmation, information, and physical care support. The effectiveness of social support intervention was measured by diverse indicators however, mostly health outcomes such as physical-psycho-social problems, quality of life and wellbeing. Specific intervention strategies outlined that considered types of social support deficits, intervention tactics, and population targets. Intervention targets are individual, dyadic, group, community and institution. Social support interventions reported in literature examined with the survey list of the prescriptive theory suggested by Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach. Further development of intervention tactics are remained. Future research to develop situation-relating theory and accumulation of the research will guarantee the prescriptive theory of social support.