The bartender as a mental health service gatekeeper: a role analysis

Efforts to expand mental health manpower have taken three major directions: (1) increased use of consultation, (2) creating entirely new roles, and (3) offering training to persons engaged in roles or occupations presumably at strategic points of contact between the public and the mental health system. Among such roles are clergy, police, hairdressers, and bartenders. Little effort has been made to analyze systematically this third approach to assess its true utility for mental health service. In this paper the role of the bartender is analyzed along four dimensions: personality component, functional centrality, role distance, and nonperson status. Functional centrality appears as a clear asset. Role distance and nonperson status have mixed value depending on the activity envisioned. These role attributed will be generally incompatible with relationships requiring sustained intimacy but could facilitate initial opening up and revelation of sensitive personal information. The lack of protracted professional socialization poses some risk with respect to obtrussion of personal idiosyncracies.