Silberstein presents a brief history of the development of the Staten Island Community Mental Health program from the standpoint of psychoanalytic theory and practice. A community, like an individual, is subject to anxieties, resistances, transferences. An understanding of these factors enabled the author and his co-workers to develop a successful community mental health program in an originally distrustful area, beginning before federal financial support and publicity were available. Silberstein is convinced that the psychoanalyst has much to offer that is of fundamental value to community health services, and that such work has much to offer the analyst in opportunities for enhancing his knowledge and understanding.