Assessment in Counseling: Guiding Practice and Decision Making considers the real-world use of assessment by counselors and other helping professionals. The book underscores the importance of collecting data to understand a client's history, current circumstances, and future goals; provide a clinical diagnosis; develop goals and objectives for treatment; and determine the appropriate time to terminate treatment. Section I introduces the assessment process, lists the characteristics of "good" assessments, reviews various instruments and approaches to assessment, and discusses the use of the...