This paper discusses the history and the impact that current social conditions of Native American people has upon their education, careers, relationships, and physical and mental health, and offers suggestions about how counselors can help Native Americans improve their lives. The structure of the paper includes a brief history of some of the critical incidents in Native American history, current challenges among the Native American population, counseling implications associated with these challenges, and suggestions counselors can use to increase their cross-cultural skills in counseling, consulting, and agency development. (Contains 21 references.) (GCP)