This comprehensive text takes a balanced approach to presenting the full range of competencies required of professional school counselors. It examines the role of the counselor in today's schools, highlighting the need for counselors to be able to help students learn to function in a society characterized by rapid change, the use of technology, and a global economy. Coverage is built around eleven key competencies, which are carefully tied to three of the most important current initiatives in the school counseling field. Unique to the text is its position as the foundation for the School Counseling Activities Network (www.scan21st.com), which brings graduate students, professors, and practicing school counselors together through the Internet; all components of the text are integrated with this Web site.