This book, which presents an overview of 12 diverse populations, was written to expose practitioners such as counselors, teachers, college faculty, mental health workers, and social workers to the unique and genuine characteristics of subgroups within the United States and to effectively assist these practitioners as they work with clients and/or students from these populations. Individual chapters include: (1) "Introduction" (Nicholas Vacc, Joe Wittmer & Susan DeVaney); (2) "A Counselor in a Multicultural World" (Janet Larsen & Richard Downie); (3) "Older Order Amish: Culturally Different By Religion" (Joe Wittmer); (4) "Gay and Lesbian Populations" (Joseph Norton); (5) "Single Parents" (Susan DeVaney); (6) "On the Reservation" (Marilyn Jemison Anderson & Robert Ellis); (7)"Counseling Black People" (Roderick McDavis & Woodrow Parker); (8) "Women Entering or Re-Entering the Work Force" (Helen Wolfe); (9) "Individuals with a Physical Disability" (Nicholas Vacc & Kerry Clifford); (10) "Older Persons" (Harold Riker & Jane Myers); (11) "Southeast Asian Persons" (Rhonda Rosser & Joseph Nguyen); (12) "Asian-Americans" (Diane Sue & David Sue); (13) "Cuban-Americans" (Gerardo Gonzalez); (14) "Mexican-Americans" (Donald Avila & Antonio Avila); and (15) "Preparation for Helping Professionals Working with Diverse Populations" (Larry Loesch). The majority of chapters begin with an Awareness Index for readers to complete before reading the chapter. Each chapter concludes with its own set of references. (NB)