A preliminary step toward the establishment of a mental health system in the United States that is congruent with the socio-cultural circumstances of Afro-Americans calls for an analysis of the relevance of behavior therapy to the Afro-American community. Considerable attention and analysis is given to the socio-cultural antecedents that interact to produce a set of reactions by the Afro-American community to behavior therapy and the possible relationship between specific socio-cultural factors and the effective practice of behavior therapy. The two systems are not antithetical but are congruent in a number of areas. Multimodal behavior therapy is recommended as the framework of choice. Behavior therapy can be viewed as an approach that is in keeping with the holistic and spiritual dimension of Afro-American culture. Its effective use in the Afro-American community is the consequence of a recognition by behavior therapy of the influence of the American ethos on its conceptualization and practice. Acceptance of behavior therapy by the Afro-American community is contingent upon the behavior of behavior therapists and not their theoretical proclamations. (Author)