Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
American Psychological Association · Public domain · source
Title	Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Discipline	Clinical psychology
Abbreviation	J. Consult. Clin. Psychol.
Publisher	American Psychological Association
Country	United States
History	1937–present
Frequency	Monthly
Impact	6.0
Impact-year	2023

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical publishing empirical and theoretical work in clinical psychology and related applied psychological practice. It appears under the auspices of the American Psychological Association and serves as a venue for clinical trials, meta-analyses, diagnostic studies, and interventions that inform policy, practice, and training in mental health. The journal's content has influenced practitioners and researchers affiliated with institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, Yale University, Columbia University, and countless hospitals and clinics.

History

The journal was established in 1937 during a period of expansion in psychological science when organizations like the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association were shaping standards for clinical practice; early editors had ties to institutions including Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, and University of Pennsylvania. Throughout the mid-20th century the journal published work connected to figures and movements such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, B. F. Skinner, John B. Watson, Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, Mary Ainsworth, and Aaron T. Beck, reflecting shifts from psychoanalytic theory toward behaviorism and cognitive therapies. In later decades, contributions intersected with policy and practice developments tied to the National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Mental Health. Landmark randomized controlled trials and methodological advances featured collaborations among researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic. The journal has documented diagnostic changes associated with editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, legislative influences such as the Mental Health Parity Act, and responses to public health events including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Hurricane Katrina, the September 11 attacks, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scope and Content

The journal covers clinical assessment, psychotherapy, behavioral interventions, psychopharmacology adjunct studies, prevention science, health psychology intersections, and implementation research involving settings such as outpatient clinics, inpatient psychiatric units, school-based programs, primary care practices, community mental health centers, and telehealth platforms. Articles often report randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, longitudinal follow-ups, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses with data drawn from populations connected to institutions like the National Center for PTSD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, American Medical Association, and state mental health departments. Topics intersect with work by scholars and clinicians associated with names such as Marsha Linehan, Steven C. Hayes, Martin Seligman, Albert Bandura, Aaron T. Beck, David M. Clark, Judith Beck, Thomas A. Widiger, Nancy McWilliams, and Irvin Yalom, and with diagnostic frameworks from the American Psychiatric Association and research networks like the Clinical Trials Network. The journal publishes special issues and commentaries occasionally guest-edited by figures affiliated with Oxford University, Cambridge University, King’s College London, University College London, and the University of Toronto.

Editorial and Publication Details

The journal is published monthly by the American Psychological Association and managed by editorial teams drawn from universities such as University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, Northwestern University, Duke University, and University of Chicago. Editors-in-chief have historically been prominent clinicians and academics linked to Yale University, Harvard Medical School, Stanford School of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and the University of Pittsburgh. Submission guidelines emphasize research methodologies consistent with standards promoted by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials, the Cochrane Collaboration, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and the EQUATOR Network, and ethical oversight aligning with institutional review boards at institutions like the National Institutes of Health and Veterans Affairs Research offices. The journal offers online access, institutional subscriptions through academic libraries such as the Library of Congress and the British Library, and indexing in major bibliographic services.

Abstracting and Indexing

Articles are abstracted and indexed in major databases and indexing services including PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Coverage ensures discoverability for researchers at institutions such as Princeton University, Brown University, Cornell University, University of Texas, University of North Carolina, University of Florida, and international centers including the Karolinska Institutet, Max Planck Institutes, Humboldt University, Sorbonne University, and the University of Melbourne. Bibliographic listings facilitate citation tracking via systems linked to Clarivate Analytics and Elsevier metrics.

Impact and Reception

The journal has been influential in shaping evidence-based practice and has been cited in guidelines produced by organizations like the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the World Health Organization. Its articles have informed clinicians and policymakers at institutions including the Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Health Service, Canadian Institute for Health Information, and Australian Department of Health. Prominent empirical contributions appearing in the journal have been authored by researchers associated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale School of Medicine, Columbia University, University of California San Diego, King's College London, and University of Oxford; such work has garnered citations, awards from bodies like the American Psychological Association, Society for Psychotherapy Research, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and discussion in outlets including The New York Times, The Lancet, JAMA, and Nature.

Category:Psychology journals