THE MAIN EMPHASIS OF THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING TECHNIQUE IS ON OUTCOME. BY USING SUCH INDICATORS AS NUMBER OF VISITS WITHIN THE SCALES OF A PROGRAM-LEVEL FOLLOWUP GUIDE, PROCESS VARIABLES HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO OUTCOME GOALS. THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCORE FOR A PATIENT IS BASICALLY AN AVERAGE OF OUTCOME LEVELS ADJUSTED FOR THE NUMBER OF SCALES, THE WEIGHT OF SCALES, AND THE INTERCORRELATION OF SCALES. THE ASSESSMENT OF THE RELEVANCY, APPROPRIATENESS, AND COMPLETENESS OF A FOLLOWUP GUIDE THROUGH QUALITY CONTROL HELPS TO INSURE THAT CRITERIA USED TO ASSESS A PATIENT'S SUCCESS IN THERAPY ARE VALID AND MEANINGFUL. VALIDITY IS DETERMINED BY THE SELF-EVIDENT NATURE OF THE CONTENT OF A FOLLOWUP GUIDE AND CAN BE COMPARED TO THE VALIDITY OF SERVICE CONTRACTS GENERALLY. THE MOST FREQUENTLY MENTIONED GOAL CATEGORIES IN FOLLOWUP GUIDES ARE AGGRESSION, ALCOHOL USE, ANXIETY, PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, DECISIONS, DEPRESSION, DRUG USE, EDUCATION, FAMILY OR MARITAL CONCERNS, FINANCES, INTERPERSONAL OR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, LEGAL PROBLEMS, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS, PHYSICAL OR MEDICAL PROBLEMS, SELF-REFERENCES, SEXUALITY, SUICIDE, TREATMENT, WORK, AND MISCELLANEOUS. SINCE THE EVALUATION DESIGN AT THE HENNEPIN COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE SEPARATES INTAKE FROM THERAPY, IT IS POSSIBLE TO EXAMINE INDEPENDENTLY THE INFLUENCE OF EACH GOAL AREA ON THE OUTCOME OF TREATMENT. PROCEDURES USED IN DERIVING GOAL ATTAINMENT SCORES ARE DETAILED, AND DATA OBTAINED FOR PATIENTS OF THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE ARE PRESENTED. NOTES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)