Issues in Achieving Effective Professional Alliances

As a result of changes in the mental health delivery system over the past 30 years, highly qualified professionals from many disciplines have been attracted to the field. However, their skills are often not used most effectively because the settings where they work are tied to the medical model, which is typified by a highly authoritarian structure dominated by the physician. The author describes the advantages of a socialaction model for the delivery of services, in which the focus is on interpersonal and sociocultural factors underlying emotional problems and there is no universally accepted hierarchal structure. He also discusses legislation, communication, financing, program design, role relationships, and leadership as they relate to professional alliances.