Every professionalworker whose role is to help other people frequently encounters cases which, for one reason or another, involve the referral aspect of counseling. This is true regardless of the amount of training or experience of the counselor. This referral task often presents many complex issues and problems which are not easily resolved. The challenge of this responsibility is felt by ministers, lawyers, social workers, mental health specialists, psychologists, and other professionals who are in a service or helping relationship with persons. There are no easy rules to follow or prescribed ways of handling this important aspect of the counseling relationship, but some contribution may be made by considering some of the issues and problems which are involved in the referral process.Referral is an old, recognized, and frequently used aspect of counseling, but a survey of the literature shows that it is a much neglected topic. It is only meagerly treated in training textbooks and professional journals and almost totally neglected as an area of research. The field of social work has given the most extensive treatment to the subject.