The first three editions of this book had Michel Hersen and Samuel M. Turner as its editors. After Sam’s untimely death, Michel invited me to join the team and we coedited the fourth edition together, which was published in 2010. Now that Michel has retired, I remain as the sole editor for this new fifth edition. That being said, I owe a debt of gratitude to both Sam and Michel for conceiving of the vision for this book and affording me the opportunity to play a role in its continuing evolution. Michel has been a great mentor and friend to me since we met in 1992, and I remain greatly appreciative of all that he has taught me about writing, publishing, supervising, mentoring, and teaching.

As stated in the first edition of this book, one of the most difficult milestones in a new clinician’s career is the completion of the first interview with a real live client (as opposed to role playing with other students). Generally, such endeavor is fraught with much apprehension. However, if the interview goes well, there is much rejoic- ing. On the other hand, if the interview falls flat, there will be considerable consternation on the part of the clinician and usually heavy doses of constructive feedback from the supervisor. Regardless of the amount of preparation that has taken place before the interview, the beginning clinician will justifiably remain apprehensive about this endeavor. Thus, this new edition of Diagnostic Interviewing, like the prior editions, remains devoted to providing clear guidance and structure for new and seasoned clinicians in successfully engaging with a large variety of clients and presenting problems in diverse interviewing settings. I sincerely hope that readers of this book find many pearls of wisdom in these pages and that this book helps them become better clinicians.