There is a misconception among most of society that gifted and talented persons don’t need any special attention from counselors. The assumption can be that gifted and talented persons (GNTs) just have more of “a good thing” and really don’t (shouldn’t?) need much help.

Who would read an encyclopedia whose contributors are unknown and whose information may be erroneous? Millions; at least that’s been the experience of the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Wikipedia is phenomenally successful, but it didn’t look like such a sure thing back in 2001.

An important new book was recently published, Rethinking Substance Abuse: What the Science Shows, and What We Should Do About It (Miller & Carroll, 2006). It brought together some of the best addiction minds in the country to discuss the latest and greatest addiction research, and the implications for the addiction field. An interesting speculation was put forth. What would our field look like free of its never-ending politics. That set the stage for a later chapter that included a set of 10 principles intended to revamp substance abuse treatment. Those principles constitute the core of this column.