PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS: THE SECRETS TO... should be required reading for school counseling interns, new and experienced counselors alike. Full of practical examples of real life challengers that school counselors face every day. A great resource for new ideas and strategies, as well as insights into the professional jargon used in school settings. .... Dr. Susan Moor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Counseling Programs at Manhattan College and Hofstra University. It moves away from the theoretical graduate classroom approach for middle and senior high schools students to the practical, every day implementation of services for students. ....Bob Emery, Director of Guidance, East Rockaway High School, L I, NY BOOK REVIEW: by Lisa Kende ( Corporate Media Specialist) THE SECRETS TO BEING A GREAT SCHOOL COUNSELOR by Dr. Richard O'Connell is truly the quintessential guide for the professional counselor, graduate school counselor and intern. Don't be fooled by the title which may seem pretentious, rather it humbly claims merely to improve counselor performance through a school community effort. What the author does is to re-invent, clarify, humanize and add life to the difficult task of counseling underachieving and superior students. The book is a quick read further enhanced by the many anecdotes that provide real-life applications for the many insights so useful to counselors. The author's approach is an artful combination of diplomacy, humor and decades of experience in the real world of guiding young people to achieve their full potential. It is a step-by-step guide for how counselors, administrators, teachers and parents can pull together for the benefit of the student. Dr. O'Connell has effectively identified the rough spots (that typically have to do with ego or lack of experience) that can easily derail what should be a harmonious team effort within the school system. The many awards earned for superior guidance skills are reflected in the author's understanding of human nature and willingness to adjust, fine tune or even reverse his approach when warranted. As a public relations professional specializing in training corporate chief executive officers to deal with confrontational media interviews, I recognized many of the same techniques in Dr. O'Connell's approach to preparing students for college. Clearly, Dr. O'Connell's approach leaves no student behind from the most gifted to learning disabled. His anecdotes about learning disabled and minority students and his work helping them to mainstream into the school community demonstrate that every student has something important to contribute to the school. THE SECRETS TO... is a compendium of strategies, approaches, organizational skills, time savers, motivational techniques, safe guards and interpersonal skills, etc. which help the counselor to become effective and valued, while at the same time avoiding costly professional and personal mistakes. Using diplomacy, humor, and his decades of experience, Dr. O'Connell gives step-by-step instructions on how counselors, administrators, teachers and parents can all pull together to motivate students. Dr. O'Connell deals with the mechanics of guidance, from college planning to government regulations, to helping learning disabled students. Opening up dialogues and listening to what is being said is key, suggests Dr. O'Connell. Packed with hands-on information and techniques, he stresses that for parents and school personnel to be effective, they must impact the entire school community. His work is a real contribution to a department much criticized. .....Matthew Bonura, Past President of the Shelter Island Board of Education, Shelter Island, NY. It's a great book I never read anything like it, a significant tool in affecting change in the school community. ....Dr. John Kehoe, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Bronxville, NY