There are a number of advantages to including child and family therapy services in a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Because the concept of the HMO is based on a holistic systems-oriented model, it can utilize short-term, structured, and strategic interventions without the burdens of autocratic forms of psychological assessment, large teaching commitments, or paperwork. Therapists can be effective in an HMO setting without worrying about the "seductiveness" of keeping patients, although the therapist must have an intrinisic sense of caring for the HMO philosophy and the consumer. Pioneering work done by mental health professionals in the HMO setting is among the most creative and exciting work occurring in therapy today. (JAC)