Journeys to Professional Excellence: Stories of Courage, Innovation, and Risk-Taking in the Lives of Noted Psychologists and Counselors edited by Frederic P. Bemak and Robert K. Conyne explores the professional journeys of well-known psychologists and counselors, examining factors that contributed to their successes and struggles in the field. Powerful narratives cover the challenges and joys related to ethnic identity; moving from poverty; finding significance; dealing with immigrant status; exploring public policy; challenging the status quo; experiencing serendipity and exploring one’s way; moving into new professional roles; and taking risks. These stories will ignite passion in future psychologists and counselors by helping them reflect on the relationship between their own personal and professional identities.   " Journeys to Professional Excellence is a wonderful collection of diverse narratives. Readers will find themselves drawn into these stories and will leave with a better understanding of what it means to be a practicing counselor." -- Julie M. Koch and Douglas Knutson "As a newer counselor educator, I found knowledge, encouragement, inspiration, and a sense of professional kinship in these pages. This book is a great resource for beginning professionals." -- Kerrie R. Fineran " Journeys to Professional Excellence is an inspirational bricolage woven together by master artists, the editors. The bricoles provided by each author are bound to inspire, motivate, and encourage readers to reach for the stars in their professional endeavors, even in their personal lives." -- Enobong J. Inyang "Exceptional book! Relevant to counselors’ global professional growth." -- Mary Olufunmilayo Adekson "This is exactly what counseling educators need to train up future professionals. Knowing information is one thing but learning and understanding how it works is another. Bemak and Conyne fill this gap by addressing the experience of a professional from an application perspective." -- Felicia E. Ward "Narratives have always been a significant means of communicating from one generation to the next. This book is a wonderful gift to current and future counselors sharing thoughts, values, and insights of leaders in the counseling profession." -- LaVerne K. Jordan Fred Bemak is a Professor and Academic Program Coordinator of the Counseling and Development Program and Director and co-founder of the Diversity Research and Action Center at George Mason University.  He is also the founder and Director of Counselors Without Borders. He began his career working in Upward Bound, where he later became the Director, providing a foundation for his lifetime work in cross-cultural psychology. He has held administrative faculty positions at Johns Hopkins University and Ohio State University.  Fred has over 100 publications in professional journals and book chapters, and has co-authored 5 books. He has provided extensive consultation and training with governments and organizations throughout the United States and internationally in over 55 countries.  Fred has received 3 Fulbright Scholarships to work in Brazil, Scotland, and Turkey, been a World Rehabilitation Fund International Exchange of Experts Fellow in India, and received a Kellogg International Fellow award to work and study throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and held visiting faculty appointments at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, University of Queensland in Australia, Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and the National Taiwan Normal University in Taiwan. He is an invited speaker at numerous national and international forums and has received a number of awards including the American Counseling Association Kitty Cole Human Rights Award and the American Counseling Association Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person. He is past-president of Counselors for Social Justice and a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association as well as the recipient of an Honorary Professorship at Amity University in India.  Robert K. Conyne, Ph.D., William A. Allen Boeing Endowed Chair & Distinguished Professor, Seattle University, 2013-14 and Professor Emeritus from the University of Cincinnati, is a licensed psychologist, clinical counselor, and fellow of the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW) and the American Psychological Association. He has amassed 42 years of professional experience as a university professor and department head, counselor, administrator, consultant, and trainer, and, most recently, as a consultant to military personnel and their families at U.S. installations both at home and overseas. Bob has received many awards, including Eminent Career Award from the ASGW; Lifetime Achievement Award in Prevention, Society of Counseling Psychology of the APA; Distinguished Alumni Award of Distinction from Purdue University;