THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING METHOD CONCERNS ONE CENTRAL QUESTION: HOW TO MEET REQUIREMENTS OF PROGRAM EVALUATION WHILE PROVIDING FOR UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TREATMENT PROCESS AND ASPIRATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS. WHEN THE EVALUATION PROJECT WAS INITIATED TO ASCERTAIN THE VIABILITY OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING FOR THE HENNEPIN COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE, APPROXIMATELY 100 EMPLOYEES WHO SERVED ABOUT 5,000 PATIENTS AND OTHER CLIENTS PER YEAR WERE INVOLVED. THE SERVICE HAD INPATIENT, OUTPATIENT, DAY HOSPITAL, CHILD CARE, MEDICATION MAINTENANCE, SOCIAL REHABILITATION, CONSULTATION, AND EDUCATION SUBUNITS. A CRISIS INTERVENTION UNIT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY ADDED. THE TREATMENT STAFF INCLUDED PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, SOCIAL WORKERS, NURSES, ALLIED HEALTH SPECIALISTS, AND STUDENTS IN ALL DISCIPLINES. THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING METHOD WAS SET UP TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS: A SET OF DIMENSIONS DEVISED FOR OR BY THE INDIVIDUAL, A SYSTEM TO ASSIGN WEIGHTS AMONG DIMENSIONS, A SET OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES, FOLLOWUP SCORING OF OUTCOMES, AND SCORES SUMMARIZING OUTCOMES ACROSS ALL DIMENSIONS. ABOUT 2,500 FOLLOWUP GUIDES HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED OVER A 3-YEAR PERIOD IN THE OUTPATIENT SUBUNIT, AVERAGING ABOUT 4 SCALES EACH. THE FOLLOWUP GUIDE IS INCLUDED. IN GENERAL, THE ADVANTAGE OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING LIES IN ITS FLEXIBLE STRUCTURE. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DP)