Call for papers: Special issue on the identity of clinical psychology

• Letter of Intent Deadline: December 1, 2026
• Invitation to Submit will be sent out: January 1, 2027
• Manuscript Submission Deadline: May 1, 2027

• A. Jordan Wright
• Jude Bergkamp
• Leo Caraballo
• Amy Roy

(Current officers of the Clinical Psychology Specialty Council)

Clinical psychology is at a juncture that necessitates deep thought and difficult conversations. Between the recent onset of APA accrediting master’s programs, the upcoming likely changes in licensure and scope of practice at the master’s level, deepening societal need for psychological services, APA’s recent call for a population health approach, new competency models emerging for training and practice, and many other shifts in society, clinical psychology must think carefully about its identity and what shifts need to occur to meet these changes. Now is the time to engage the broader clinical psychology community to weigh in on what is important to us as a field for the future.

The special issue will invite contributors to discuss the identity of clinical psychology in the second quarter of the century. Specifically, forward-thinking, scholarly submissions will be encouraged, with particular emphasis on maintaining a scientific base in the field, better attending to broader societal needs (aligned with APA’s population health focus), and developing a more anti-oppressive ethos for the field. Further, submissions will be encouraged that address the broadening of licensure to clinical psychology practitioners practicing at the master’s level, with a focus on what a more clearly tiered profession will mean for clinical psychology, as well as on new competency models that have recently emerged. Submissions to PPRP should explicitly address implications for clinical psychology professionals in practice. Priority will be given to articles that address and have implications for the broader discipline of clinical psychology (rather than more specific or niche applications within the field).

Submissions may address topics such as, but not limited to:

• what changes need to be made to the discipline of clinical psychology to better meet societal needs
• what a master’s-level clinical psychology workforce will mean for the identity of the field
• core values in clinical psychology that need to be maintained (or revised or added)
• implications of modern/new competency models to the field of clinical psychology
• the role of assessment in the future of clinical psychology
• multilevel (i.e., master’s and doctoral) models for continuing education, professional development, specialty board certification, and lifelong learning in clinical psychology

Interested contributors should submit a letter of interest (LOI) consisting of 500-word abstract of their proposed article. LOIs may also include author biographies/positionality statements, if desired. LOIs should be submitted via emailopens in new window by December 1, 2026. The editors will provide authors with decisions by January 1, 2027. Invited contributors will have five months to develop and submit their manuscript by May 1, 2027. Invitations to contribute do not guarantee acceptance of manuscripts, and all invited manuscripts will be subject to the customary journal review process.