Counseling the Gifted: Internet Links

The World Wide Web offers myriad resources for counselors, parents and educators of the gifted and talented. Here are several links that give you a good start in your search for reliable, thorough listings of bibliographies, associations and organizations. Start with AskERIC and the Gifted Resources Home Page. For a broader reach and to find resources in specific locales, try the Web search engines or directories, which sometimes feature gifted and talented references. Two are attached below.

AskERIC Gifted Education
The AskERIC site is maintained by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a federally funded national information system that provides a variety of services and products on a broad range of education-related issues. You'll find a multitude of references for educational links and sites specific to the general topic of the gifted and talented. Also included is a good list of online discussion groups where counselors, parents, educators and gifted people can find peer support.

Bibliography from the SouthWestern Opportunities Network (SwopNet.com)
This thorough bibliography lists resources specific to issues faced by several groups within the gifted and talented population -- underachievement, gender and racial issues, learning disabilities -- and their educators and counselors.

California Association for the Gifted
The CAG maintains several programs whose goal is to advocate appropriate curriculum, legislation and opportunities to benefit the more than 300,000 gifted students in grades K-12 in California schools. The CAG also maintains an active political action committee (CAG/PAC) and a part-time lobbyist in Sacramento. It cooperates with the state education department on curriculum, and it established a comprehensive personalized program to assess and develop the professional skills of educators who are working with gifted students. The CAG also sponsors scholarships, grants and awards for both teachers and students.

Talent Development Resources' mental health 'subsite'
Created and maintained by writer and interviewer Douglas Eby, the Talent Development Resources site features this mental health and creativity section with links to individual pages on topics like addictions, eating disorders and positive psychology. Each page begins with relevant quotes from newsmakers and ends with lists of books and articles on each subject. Note especially the pages regarding counseling and therapy.

The Gifted Development Center
The Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO, serves parents, schools, and advocacy groups with information about identification, assessment, counseling, learning styles, programs, presentations, and resources for gifted children and adults. Known for its theory of visual-spatial learning, it's directed by noted author and psychologist Linda Silverman.

Educational Options
Educational Options spotlights resources that aid in the struggle to guide a highly intelligent person toward a life of fulfillment and purpose. Psychologist Deborah L. Ruf founded Educational Options in 1999 to help the families of gifted children, particularly highly and profoundly gifted children, begin their search for answers related to gifted issues.