Editorial Guidelines for Writers

We Welcome Your Submissions!

The Therapist is open to receiving expert written manuscripts, composed in language that is easy to understand and appealing to mental health professionals. The Therapist is a peer-reviewed professional magazine, and all submissions are reviewed by CAMFT's Editorial Advisory Council. Below are the categories of articles currently being accepted for publication. Please follow the guidelines below, and send your submission to articles@camft.org.

Submission Categories and Instructions

The Editorial Advisory Council will accept submissions that correspond to one of three categories: Professional Exchange, The Business of Practice: Member Spotlight, or Letter to the Editor.  Submissions should be sent via e-mail to articles@camft.org as an attachment (preferably Microsoft Word), or snail-mailed to: Editorial Advisory Council, CAMFT, 7901 Raytheon Road, San Diego, CA, 92111.

Professional Exchange Articles are 2,000-3,000 word submissions relevant to clinical theory and practice that contain the best available, current, scientific evidence to support the topic being discussed. Professional exchange submissions must include peer reviewed citations, learning objectives, and questions to be used for Continuing Education (CE) credits. Additional supplemental materials are welcome. A short (100 word) biography and picture of the author(s) should also be included with the submission.
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• Original Manuscripts Only: The Editorial Advisory Council seeks original ideas regarding treatment strategies, research, therapeutic approaches, and viewpoints related to mental health. Please do not submit term papers, previously published articles, dissertations, or articles lacking proper citations.
• Manuscript Style: Submissions should be carefully prepared, double-spaced with size 12 font and 1 inch margins. The style of writing should be professional, substantive, and clear. Submissions must be relevant to clinical theory and practice and contain the best available, current, scientific evidence to support the topic being discussed.
• Citations / References: When citing the research referenced in the manuscript, primary references should be used when possible. Current references (within the last 10 years) are preferable. References should be formatted according to an established citation style (APA, AMA, or similar) and placed in alphabetical order. The use of footnotes within the text is strongly discouraged.
• Author Qualifications: In order for manuscripts to fulfill the requirements for continuing education materials, they must be written by authors who meet at least two (2) of the following criteria:
  • Author(s) hold a valid and unrestricted license, registration or certificate in an area related to the subject matter of the article.
  • Author(s) possess a Master’s degree or higher in an area related to the subject matter of the article.
  • Author(s) can provide evidence of substantial training, certification, or teaching experience in subject matter relating to the article.
  • Author(s) have at least 2 years of professional experience in an area of expertise related to the subject matter of the article.

The Business of Practice: Member Spotlight articles highlight CAMFT members and their clinical business practices. Submissions should be 750 – 1000 words in length and follow the question and answer format of the Business of Practice: Member Spotlight Questionnaire. Member Spotlight submissions should both highlight the CAMFT member’s work and provide relevant information for fellow therapists and CAMFT members about the variety of ways to work in mental health. To be considered for Member Spotlight, fill out the Member Spotlight Questionnaire by clicking here, and email your completed questionnaire to articles@camft.org.

Letters to the Editor should be no more than 250 words pertaining to an article appearing within the last six months of the most recent issue. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Letters to the Editor reflect the views of the writers and not CAMFT's views.

Sample Topics for Professional Exchange Articles  

The following list of potential topics is meant to be helpful but not all-encompassing. If you wish to write a Professional Exchange article but are not sure if the topic is appropriate for The Therapist, simply send an inquiry to articles@camft.org. We look forward to receiving your submission!

• Topics related to assessing, diagnosing, and treating any and all diagnoses or mental health issues found in the current Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM), the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) or other similarly established volumes.
• Topics related to the implementation of different clinical modalities, including but not limited to psychodynamic strategies, CBT, DBT, EFT, EMDR, somatic therapies, family systems approaches, couples work, process groups, art therapy, ABA, educational psychology and more.
• Topics related to cultural competency, cultural sensitivity, cultural humility and providing competent care to clients.
• Topics related to broadly accepted psychological concepts (shame, trauma, schemas, enmeshment, etc) and theories (object relations, narrative/post-modern, humanistic, behavioral, transpersonal, etc) such as what would be found in a Master’s degree program in clinical psychology.
• Topics related to adjunct modalities that augment traditional clinical therapies such as neuro-feedback, wilderness therapies, transcranial magnetic stimulation, yoga, ketamine therapy, etc.