From making the transition to college to coping with injuries, student-athletes face many challenges.

Helping them confront these challenges in productive ways is the purpose of a book edited by Edward F. Etzel , a sport psychologist at West Virginia University .

Counseling and Psychological Services for College Student-Athletesoffers a comprehensive, insightful view of the increasingly demanding environment of intercollegiate athletics. In addition to editing the book, Etzel, an associate professor in WVU s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences , co-authored three chapters.

Fitness Information Technology , the publishing arm of the colleges International Center for Performance Excellence , is the books publisher.

This is a volume of considerable magnitude and truly a must-read for any professional working with college student-athletes,said Rolffs Pinkerton, staff psychologist with Duke Universitys Counseling and Psychological Services and associate clinical professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Centers Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

It provides a treasure trove of information, well researched and well written by authors with substantial practical experience in the field,Pinkerton added.This will no doubt become the go-to reference for anyone working with this population.

The book offers helpful approaches to counseling specific groups of student-athletes, including men, women, minorities and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students. The text also covers counseling on special concerns, such as the college student-athlete experience and academics, depression transitions, dealing with injury and learning disabilities as well as alcohol and drug use.

The work will be particularly useful for university-based and private-practice counselors and psychologists, student service professionals, intercollegiate athletic academic advisers, graduate students in counseling and psychology, coaches and athletic trainers.

Etzel joined the faculty in the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences in 1979. He is also a licensed psychologist who is on staff of the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and WVU Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services .

He has edited two other books and penned several book chapters and professional journal articles.

He also coached the WVU rifle team from 1976-89, compiling a 101-3 record, and was a gold medalist in rifle at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The International Center for Performance Excellence was founded to promote an awareness of the values of engaging in sport and physical activity. Its mission is to bring global attention to the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences curriculum and disseminate scholarly research through Fitness Information Technology, a commercial publishing company founded by college faculty emeriti Andrew Ostrow and William Alsop.

For more information about the center, contact Steven Pope, director, at ” steven.pope@mail.wvu.edu rel=nofollow> steven.pope@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-0880.