Book excerpt: A landmark publication, The Handbook of Counseling surveys and defines the field of counselling - how it has developed, the current state of the discipline and profession, and where this dynamic field is going. The editors and contributors are leaders in the field, and book is sponsored by Chi Sigma Iota, the US national counselling honour society and a division of the American Counseling Association. Comprehensive in scope, the volume covers: the counselling profession, including its emergence and current status; the major approaches to counselling; settings, including community, school, and family; the different interventions including individual, work, career, and multicultural counselling; education and supervision; research strategies; critical and cutting-edge issues such as responses to social and professional diversity, computer applications, and the state of independent counselling practice