Too often parents, teachers, and even counselors assume that underachievers are students who can, but simply don't (or won't) achieve. But student underachievement is a complex problem that defies a "one size fits all" solution. Although past research has extensively explored and documented the links between personal and social variables and levels of achievement, there is a strong need for research that tests and validates comprehensive models of interventions that attempt to address the underachievement problem. This digest highlights the relevance of student underachievement to current national priorities, discusses the role of the school counselor, and reviews current research on counseling underachievers as well as basic concepts of the updated "Counseling Underachievers" model. (Contains 15 references.) (GCP)