Journals > Clinical Psychological Science > Call for Papers: Special Issue of Clinical Psychological Science

Call for Papers: Special Issue of Clinical Psychological Science

Multidisciplinary Clinical Psychological Science: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Co-Guest Editors: Jennifer L. Tackett, Alexander J. Shackman, Shirley B. Wang

Deadline for Abstract Submissions: April 1, 2024

“Work closely and in cooperative fashion with those whose methods may be different but whose goals are quite similar. In these settings [the clinical psychological scientist] learns to…value the ‘team’ approach to…problems…which, because of their difficulty and complexity, require a concentrated group attack” (APA, 1947, p. 545). 

The central goal of clinical psychological science is to reduce the suffering caused by mental illness. Anxiety, mood, eating, psychosis, substance use, and other psychiatric disorders impose a staggering burden on patients and their loved ones, global public health, and the economy (GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators, 2022; The White House, 2023; U.S. Surgeon General, 2021). Rising to this challenge will require the development and dissemination of creative and rigorous research methods that can help us better understand the immense complexity of psychopathology, as well as new intervention strategies that are more effective, more sustainable, and more equitable. Clinical psychology—a field anchored since its inception on the deep integration of basic science and clinical practice—is uniquely positioned to serve as a transdisciplinary hub for this research (Gee et al., 2022). Yet, multidisciplinary research is notoriously challenging and many clinical psychological scientists remain isolated from methodological and conceptual advances in other areas of psychology and related disciplines. 

The goal of this Special Issue is to showcase the best of multidisciplinary clinical psychological science research, to spark a dialogue about on-going challenges and emerging opportunities, and, ultimately, to inspire more students and faculty to “leave their silos, drain their moats, and build bridges” (McFall et al., 2015, p. 5).  

Call for Proposals

  • Abstracts (500 words maximum) will be reviewed on a rolling basis
  • Abstracts should summarize the manuscript’s relevance to the goals of the special issue, explicitly identify the distinct disciplines/subdisciplines encompassed by the project, and summarize the approach and results. For the purpose of the abstract proposal, a summary of preliminary and/or expected results is acceptable. Empirical, simulation, and conceptual (e.g., perspectives) projects are all of interest.  
  • We are interested in innovative research that
    • Is relevant to psychiatric illness, broadly construed 
    • Thematically encompasses two or more distinct disciplines (clinical psychology and e.g., neuroscience, computer science, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, applied mathematics, statistics, education, climate science, public health, & beyond) or nonredundant sub-disciplines of psychological science (clinical and e.g., cognitive, social, developmental psychology). 
    • Emerges from collaboration and cross-talk between experts drawn from two or more distinct disciplines or sub-disciplines of psychological science (‘team science’ approach) 
  • We are particularly excited about cross-cutting work that has significance for multiple disciplines (i.e., work that is interesting and innovative for clinical psychologists and experts in other fields). 
  • The deadline for abstract submission is April 1, 2024
  • Submit via email at [email protected] 
  • Full manuscript invitations will be issued by May 15, 2024
  • Full manuscripts should be submitted to Clinical Psychological Science via the journal portal by November 1, 2024
  • We encourage authors to post submitted versions of their articles to Advance, Sage’s preprint server, and to make their research materials and de-identified data available on the Open Science Framework or other public repositories
  • Please feel free to contact the Editors ([email protected]) if questions arise about the scope of the special issue or the submission process at 

References

APA. (1947). Recommended graduate training program in clinical psychology. American Psychologist, 2, 539-558. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0058236 

GBD 2019 Mental Disorders Collaborators. (2022). Global, regional, and national burden of 12 mental disorders in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Psychiatry, 9, 137-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(21)00395-3 

Gee, D. G., DeYoung, K. M., McLaughlin, K. A., Tillman, R. M., Barch, D. M., Forbes, E. E., . . . Shackman, A. J. (2022). Training the next generation of clinical psychological scientists: A data-driven call to action. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18, 43-70. 

McFall, R. M., Treat, T. A., & Simons, R. F. (2015). Clinical science model. In R. L. Cautin & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology (pp. 1-9). New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.

The White House. (2023). The White House report on mental health research priorities. The White House Office. https://www.hsdl.org/c/abstract/?docid=874962 

U.S. Surgeon General. (2021). Protecting youth mental health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory [ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK575984/ ]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK575984/