The concept of self-handicapping can be legitimately anchored in a vari ety of intellectual contexts, some old and some newer. As this volume reminds us, Alfred Adler was perhaps the first to articulate the signifi cance of various self-defeating claims and gestures for protecting the self concept. Thus the apparent paradox of "defeat" in the interests of "pro tection. " More recently (but still more than 30 years ago), Heider's "naive psychology" added attributional rhetoric to the description of self-defeat ing strategies. While predominantly cognitive in its thrust, the attribu tional approach incorporated several motivational influences-especially those involving egocentric concerns. Heider hardly violated our common sense when he suggested that people are inclined to attribute their performances in a self-serving manner: the good things I caused; the bad things were forced upon me. The notion of self-handicapping strategies, proposed by Berglas and myself a little more than a decade ago, capitalized on these homely truths while adding a particular proactive twist. We not only make ex cuses for our blunders; we plan our engagements and our situational choices so that self-protective excuses are unnecessary. In doing so, we use our attributional understanding to arrange things so that flawed and failing performances will not be interpreted in ways that threaten our self-esteem.

"Drs. Susannah Wood and Jean Peterson have combined forces to move the field of school counseling forward in its work on behalf of gifted students… This subtle regularizing into appropriate school counseling practice is actually quite radical as is makes it clear that the time has passed to consider whether we should be concerned with the nature and needs of students with gifts and talents, but rather need to move to serving them as a requirement of our profession... And fortunately for all of us, the authors provide a clearly articulated roadmap for helping us live up to our professional responsibilities." --Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D. Created to fill a gap in both counselor education and gifted education, this is the only up-to-date text to provide a concise and practical overview of counseling services designed specifically for gifted and talented students. Grounded in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model for counseling programs, the book illuminates specific knowledge, awareness, and skills school counselors need to address concerns related not only to academics, but also to social and emotional development of this population. The text delivers a theoretical and practical overview of gifted and talented education in the United States and the responsibilities of school counselors as they pertain to this unique population. Going well beyond the common call to provide academic challenge, the book considers special characteristics of gifted and talented students as it examines the complexities of career development, college readiness, and concerns related to social and emotional development. It discusses how counselors can advocate for gifted students, lead efforts to match programming and needs, and collaborate with school staff and families. Vignettes depicting critical incidents and epitomizing needs are used to illuminate differentiated counseling approaches that support this student population. Each chapter highlights a key concept, and curriculum guidelines and resources for professional development support the text. KEY FEATURES: Interweaves school counseling and gifted education research and practice Considers characteristics and counseling concerns associated with giftedness Is based on the ASCA model for counseling programs Examines the complexities of career development, college readiness, and social/emotional development in this population Highlights key concepts and includes vignettes of critical incidents