Counseling for empowerment is a complex and multifaceted process that requires, for some, a radical departure from the traditional conceptualization of the helper's role. The process of empowerment demands that professional helpers and their clients take an active, collaborative approach to identifying problems and goals. Drawing from counseling, social work, nursing, rehabilitation, and other professional literature, as well as popular magazines, novels and personal perspectives, this book links theoretical notions of empowerment with practical techniques applied to specific populations and issues. Educational perspectives of empowerment are examined. Detailed case examples and applications of counseling for empowerment in work with people of color; gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients; clients with HIV and AIDS; People with Disabilities; survivors of violence; adolescents and older adults; and the "non-beautiful" are provided. A chapter on adolescents addresses educational mismatch, dropout, violence in the schools, and allocation of school resources and suggestions for adolescent empowerment. Chapters are: (1) The Nature of Empowerment; (2) The Nature of Counseling; (3) Intrapersonal Skills; (4) Interpersonal Skills; (5) People of Color; (6) People Who Are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual; (7) People With HIV Disease; (8) People With Disabilities; (9) Survivors of Violence; (10) Older Adults; (11) Adolescents; (12) The Non-Beautiful; and (13) Empowerment and the Future of Counseling. Contains an index and 445 references. (JBJ)