Traditional mental health service systems are examined in terms of factors limiting their effectiveness, theoretical biases that have shaped them, and their assumptions. Alternative community-oriented approaches are then presented and analyzed. Finally, a new mental health role, the Liaison Specialist, is described. The Liaison Specialist attempts to foster the ability of social systems to care for their own needs. As a resource person, he or she offers skills such as: (1) assessing the strengths and dysfunctions of the individual and the social system; (2) organizing available resources; (3) facilitating resource use; and (4) evaluating the worth and effect of problem-solving strategies. (Author)