A mental health consultation service to neighborhood organizations in an inner city area

Following a three-year period of offering mental health consultation to about twenty traditional human service agencies in a severely deprived urban area, the program was refocused so that it would also serve seven grassroots neighborhood service centers. The integration of these nontraditional agencies into the overall program with its service and training functions presented some special challenges for the professional consultants. The administrators of the grassroots agencies helped in focusing on the need for joint social action which led to the formation of an independent community-wide federation of organizations.