A mental health consultation-education program with group service agencies in a disadvantaged community.

The consultation-education program described here worked with about 20 community-based group service agencies in a severely deprived urban area. The agencies included: (a) traditional neighborhood houses, (b) recreational and "character-building" centers, (c) church-sponsored group programs, and (d) neighborhood service centers. The program involved: (a) a planning body of administrators of group service agencies, (b) a consultation service on problems of individuals or groups, and (c) training workshops for agency staff. The program was geared to both institutional changevia enhanced integration of services and promotion of new skills, and to attitude changeof individual psychosocial "caretakers".