Book excerpt: The Practical Handbook of Group Counseling is written mainly as a primer to be used in group work with children, adolescents, and parents. The first edition was used by over three hundred colleges and universities in the United States. Its unique design allows the reader to use it as a ready reference for practical information. It is presented as a text that can challenge the individual's ideas and upon which the counselor can develop techniques that will fit his/her personality and meet the needs of the group. The text was the first comprehensive practical book in this field. It is a synthesis of the various problems and successes that the counselor may encounter and offers one model that may be useful in resolving and/or enhancing some of these issues. The author utilizes the public school setting as the vehicle for presenting his material. Since the school is a cross section of the population, the model proposed here can be adapted to other social agencies that utilize group counseling techniques. The author, Dr. Sheldon D. Glass, has a significant background in group work and in child and adolescent development. He is uniquely qualified in this area because he has completed formal training in education, adult psychiatry, child psychiatry, and pediatrics.