Expectations for the comprehensive mental health center: the community.

Abstract

The process of developing community support for a comprehensive mental health center in a rural and an urban setting is described. The more limited the community in existing services, manpower and economic potential, the more radical the realignment of such resources must be before a center can emerge. In his efforts to obtain community commitment, the mental health professional must be aware that idiosyncratic expectancies of what the center will accomplish are held by the sponsoring agencies. Shaping such diverse aspirations into a realistic program of services is a hazard and a strength of the community mental health movement.