Several people generously contributed their time and expertise throughout the development of Essential Counseling Skills: Practice and Application Guide. We appreciated and enjoyed our opportunity to work with Kassie Graves, human services senior acquisitions editor at SAGE Publications, again. From the time the text was nothing more than a topic of conversation to the day when it reached shelves, Kassie has been encouraging, cheerful, and incredibly helpful. Elizabeth Luizzi and other professionals at SAGE Publications have consistently responded to questions, offered advice, and guided the process with grace and patience. We acknowledge the tenacity, precision, and expertise demonstrated by Diane DiMura as she copy-edited word by word, line by line, and paragraph by paragraph. We also valued Stephanie Palermini's meticulous and responsive review as we neared the end of the publication process.

We also valued the recommendations offered by professionals who reviewed the initial structure for the text, and offered ideas that strengthened the plan: Chloe Lancaster, The University of Memphis; Chris Simmons, University of South Florida; Christine Rine, Plymouth State University; Donna McIntosh, Siena College; Geoffrey G. Yager, University of Cincinnati; Jeff L. Cochran, University of Tennessee; Kristy A. Brumfield, Xavier University of Louisiana; Mary C. Bradley, Indiana University Southeast; Michael P. Collins, Northern Arizona University; Octavio Ramirez, Oakwood University; Robin Russel, University of Maine; and Veronika Ospina-Kammerer, Saint Leo University

As we neared completion of the draft manuscript, others assisted in reviewing content of each component. Through this tedious process, they recognized elements that were missing and components that lacked clarity. Those individuals were Michael Collins, Northern Arizona University; Martha Ellen Wynne, Loyola University–Chicago; Michael Shufelt Moyer, University of Texas at San Antonio; Nina C. Martin, Vanderbilt University; Norma S. Guerra, University of Texas at San Antonio; Adrian S. Warren, University of Texas at San Antonio; Barbara A. Mahaffey, Ohio University–Chillicothe; DeLeana Strohl, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Louis Jocelyn Gregoire, Duquesne University; Stuart Itzkowitz, Wayne State University; Ronnie Priest, The University of Memphis; and John Clements, Webster University.

Finally, we express our appreciation to professors who selected the text for their classes and the counselors-in-training who purchased it to support development of their essential counseling skills.