members; (b) they provide role models—indivi-
duals who have faced and conquered problems
that group members are dealing with; (c) they pro-
vide ways of understanding members’problems; (d)
they provide important and relevant information;
(e) they provide new ideas about how to cope
with existing problems; (f) they give members the
opportunity to help other members; (g) they pro-
vide social companionship; and (h) they give mem-
bers an increased sense of mastery and control over
their problems.
Clearly, self-help groups serve several impor-
tant functions for group members. However,
research suggests that professionals should be avail-
able to serve as consultants to these groups for the
groups to be maximally effective. Professionals
should not control the group, but a total lack of
involvement on the part of a community psychol-
ogist does not appear to be helpful either (Orford,
1992). Certain organizational features appear corre-
lated with the appraisal of group success, including a
certain degree of order and rules to govern the
group as well as the capability and knowledge of
group leaders (Maton, 1988), and a community
psychologist can play an invaluable indirect role
by serving as a consultant to group leaders.
ParaprofessionalsOne of the more visible features of the community
movement is its use of laypersons who have
received no formal clinical training, orparaprofes-
sionals, as therapists. The use of paraprofessionals
in the mental health field has been growing, but
this trend has generated controversy. In reviewing
42 studies, Durlak (1979) concluded that profes-
sional education, training, and experience are not
prerequisites for becoming an effective helping per-
son. However, Nietzel and Fisher (1981) took issue
with this conclusion and urged caution in interpret-
ing the results of many of the studies reviewed by
Durlak. They argued that many of the studies
included in the Durlak review were methodologi-
cally flawed and objected to Durlak’s definitions of
“professional”and“paraprofessional.”With these
and other criticisms in mind, Hattie, Sharpley, and
Rogers (1984) reanalyzed the studies in Durlak’s
review. Results from their meta-analysis concurred
with those of Durlak. The overall results favored
paraprofessionals, especially those who were more
experienced and received greater amounts of train-
ing. More recent summaries have also argued that
the available evidence suggests that paraprofessionals
may be as effective as (and in some cases more
effective than) professionals (e.g., Christensen &
Jacobson, 1994).
Besides effectiveness, there is also the issue of
access to those who can provide help. Like it or
not, most individuals who are in need of mental
health services do not seek out mental health pro-
fessionals. Instead, informal“therapy”takes place in
many contexts and is provided by a variety of lay-
persons. For example, in an interesting and provoc-
ative set of studies, Cowen (1982) investigated the
“helping behavior”of hairdressers and bartenders.
Results indicated that a small but significant pro-
portion of their customers raised moderate to seri-
ous personal problems, and both hairdressers and
bartenders attempted a range of interventions
(e.g., just listening, trying to be supportive and
sympathetic, presenting alternatives). Many com-
munity psychologists view these and other studies
as evidence supporting the idea that consultation
programs might be aimed at laypersons who natu-
rally come into contact with individuals with men-
tal health needs. These needs might not otherwise
be addressed because the target individuals are not
likely to seek out help from a mental health
professional.
Although it hardly seems wise to argue that
professionally trained clinical psychologists are
unnecessary, it certainly appears that there is a
vital role for paraprofessionals in the mental health
field today. Clinical psychologists are needed, at the
very least, to serve as consultants. Further, research
may ultimately indicate that certain types of mental
health problems respond better to services provided
by a mental health professional. To date, however,
the research questions addressed (e.g., are parapro-
fessionals effective overall?) have been too broad to
shed light on this issue. However, at least one
recent meta-analysis that focused specifically onCOMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 479