The second edition of this textbook focuses primarily on the practice of career counseling by describing some of the basic techniques and resources that can be used to support the theories of career choice and development. The authors present information and a structure that is robust and, as such, can be widely applied. They also address some emerging issues such as Web-based counseling and provide case studies throughout the text. A belief in quality career counseling is at the forefront of this book, as well as the exploration of various myths and emerging trends. Career counseling is defined and the competencies that counselors need to pursue as part of their training agenda are outlined. As a supplement, the text includes the NCDA guidelines for competency standards and ethical guidelines as appendicies at the back of the book.
Norman Amundson is a professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of British Columbia. A leader in the field of career development, Amundson recently received the Best Book Award from the Canadian Counseling Association for his book Active Engagement (Ergon Communications, 2003). His research focuses on counseling methods, unemployment, and changes in working life, while his numerous lectures, articles, workshops and seminars emphasis the importance of imagination, creativity, and action in the career counseling process.