ABSTRACT
Mental health organizations are professional service organizations. Unlike manufacturing companies, there are no products. The professions involved, by and large, require lengthy training, state licensure, and often certification by a professional organization. They often include psychiatry, other medical specialties, psychology, psychiatric nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and other allied health professions. The management of mental health organizations (and other clinical settings) is partially shaped by the professional nature of the critical revenue-generating staff; that is, the profession controls entry into the clinical field and sets the standards for practice (services delivered).
