ABSTRACT
Community aftercare has been an integral part of mental health service provision since 1906, when the first outpatient program opened in New York State (Trattner, 1994). Providing effective services to the mentally ill in an outpatient setting has become even more important since the deinstitutionalization movement began in the late 1960s. At this time, the emphasis was on treatment provision in the least restrictive setting to preserve patients’ rights. However, despite policy and program changes, there is still a huge gap in the social worker’s ability to provide essential services to clients in a community mental health program, and the professional role of the social worker has been in a continual state of flux. New initiatives have begun in an effort to provide adequate, coordinated care for the mentally ill in the community.
