In an effort to prove that mental health services can be lay administered, a training program was implemented in the rural areas of Cedar County (October 1972-April 1973) and Iowa County, Iowa (October 1973-May 1974). Recruited via personal or telephone contact, 20 trainees were selected who demonstrated they: were good listeners; did not impose their opinions on others; were concerned with people; accepted another's point of view; had no extraordinary anxiety; wanted to gain additional skills; and were area residents, committed to stay with the entire project. Conducted twice weekly for 2 hours, 24 training sessions included role playing and programmed application. Key training principles were: assumption that people can change; avoidance of past history; emphasis on listening; avoidance of responsibility taking and encouragement of independence; avoidance of the "blaming others" tactic; discouragement of belief in "The Answer". Additionally, considerable time was spent on Carkhuff's interpersonal variables (empathy, communication of respect, concreteness; genuineness, self-disclosure, confrontation, and immediacy of relationship). Evaluations (the Personal Orientation Inventory, Carkhuff's Discrimination and Communication Indices, checklists from programmed patients, and trainees' personal reports) indicated that rural lay people can be trained to render mental health services. (JC)