Beginning counseling students get a comprehensive, user-friendly, real-world look at all aspects of the field of clinical mental health counseling in this popular text. Here the authors combine an insightful introduction to the foundations with a first-hand look at the many roles and functions clinical mental health counselors perform, the variety of settings in which they work, and how that work differs from one client population to another. The focus is on approaches that promote prevention, early intervention, wellness, and advocacy and take into account the client, the environment, and the interaction between the two. Included in this Fourth Edition of Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Community and Agency Settings is new information on professional identity; the effects of today's technological changes, such as cyber bullying and social networking; holistic perspectives; biopsychosocial assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning; counseling in today's diverse society; counseling in college and university settings; suicide assessment and intervention; counseling older adults; and more.