Journal scope statement
Spirituality in Clinical Practice® (SCP) is a practice-oriented journal that encompasses spiritually-oriented psychotherapy and spirituality-sensitive cultural approaches to treatment and wellness. SCP is dedicated to integrating psychospiritual and other spiritually-oriented interventions involved in psychotherapy, consultation, coaching, health, and wellness.
SCP provides a forum for those engaged in clinical activities to report on—and dialogue about—their activities to inform treatment models and future research initiatives. SCP fosters original scientific development in the field by highlighting actual and potential professional applications of spirituality in clinical practice. SCP seeks to initiate research questions through clinical insight and to introduce practice approaches supported or guided by existing research.
SCP welcomes application of models from the related fields of medicine, integrative medicine, biology, neuroscience, ethnology, anthropology, and natural sciences.
Research articles are highly encouraged on clinical conceptualization or settings, including studies on models, processes, or treatment approaches. Treatment studies may include clinical trials at any phase; studies on feasibility, curative factors, strategy, process, efficacy, or effectiveness; and meta-analytic or mixed-methods studies.
SCP publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, reflections, and practice case reports. To establish a dialogue, articles and related commentaries are published in the same issue.
Disclaimer: APA and the editors of Spirituality in Clinical Practice assume no responsibility for statements and opinions advanced by the authors of its articles.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Spirituality in Clinical Practice supports equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in its practices. More information on these initiatives is available under EDI Efforts.
Call for Papers
Editor’s Choice
One article from each issue of Spirituality in Clinical Practice will be highlighted as an “Editor’s Choice” article. Selection is based on the recommendations of the associate editors, the paper’s potential impact to the field, the distinction of expanding the contributors to, or the focus of, the science, or its discussion of an important future direction for science. Editor's Choice articles are featured alongside articles from other APA published journals in a bi-weekly newsletter and are temporarily made freely available to newsletter subscribers.
Prior to submission, please carefully read and follow the submission guidelines detailed below. Manuscripts that do not conform to the submission guidelines may be returned without review.
Submission
To submit to the editorial office of Joseph M. Currier, please submit manuscripts electronically through the Manuscript Submission Portal in Word Document format (.doc) or LaTex (.tex) as a zip file with an accompanied Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the manuscript file.
Prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association using the 7th edition. Manuscripts may be copyedited for bias-free language (see Chapter 5 of the Publication Manual). APA Style and Grammar Guidelines for the 7th edition are available.
Joseph M. Currier
University of South Alabama
General correspondence may be directed to the editorial office.
The Spirituality in Clinical Practice® (SCP) editorial board holds the highest standards of scholarly excellence of an APA publication. Manuscripts are published in the form of original articles, reviews, practice case reports, commentaries, and reflections. The review process takes into account innovation and new insight for the field and a clear and scholarly exposition.
Research articles are highly encouraged on clinical conceptualization or settings, including studies on models, processes, or treatment approaches. Treatment studies may include clinical trials at any phase; studies on feasibility, curative factors, strategy, process, efficacy, or effectiveness; and meta-analytic or mixed-methods studies.
Discussion fostered through the SCP "round table" format weds incisive insight with a tone of interest and appreciation for fellow contributors, whose willingness to engage opens terrain for the field. With sound and careful clinical judgment, authors are encouraged to take intellectual risk around forging new ideas for practice that ultimately may pose new questions for research.
Commentary published on original articles, reviews, or practice case reports is then followed by author reply. Upon submission, authors have the option to propose colleagues for commentary with whom such discussion will be revealing of new ideas for SCP readers. Authors may or may not submit a request for engagement in commentary.
Submission types
As detailed below, the page limit of manuscripts varies depending on the submission type. This includes all parts of the manuscript, including the title page, abstract, text, references, tables, and figures. You may request permission to submit longer papers if there is a clear justification for exceeding the page limit provided in your cover letter. Nonessential materials should be placed in an online-only supplement rather than ”in the manuscript.”
Original articles
Original articles may propose new or emerging practice models; shed insight into existing clinical issues (such as PTSD within the military or refractory recurrent depression); show psychosocial developmental processes that might be fostered through psychospiritual practice; highlight psychosocial models underlying forms of psychopathology, resilience, or wellness; interpret a body of practice experiences; or report on existing practice yet to be broadly disseminated across the field. Original articles may reach across traditionally distinct clinical professions, synthesize models, or integrate research with clinical experience. To allocate space across authors, original articles generally run 18–26 typed, double-spaced pages, including references.
Reviews
Reviews may reexamine or synthesize psychospiritual approaches or movements, reveal opportunity for innovation, or indicate possibility for shared models, theories, or techniques. Reviews generally fall within 18–26 typed, double-spaced pages, including references.
Practice case reports
Practice case reports share in narrative form the innovations in practice approaches. Often a psychospiritual practice technique or new practice methods can be illustrated best through a selected case, rather than nested in a theoretical or historical exposition. Practice case reports can be presented without extensive theory, in the hopes of informing new or emerging models. Practice case reports are reviewed for novelty of approach, new insight, and clarity. Cases may range considerably in length from 4 to 15 pages, based upon the duration of treatment, detail of the interventions, and number of clients (for instance, in group treatment) involved in the case report.
Commentary
Commentary creates a sense of community "round table" discussion for sharing insights, innovation, and experiences in response to original articles, reviews, or practice case reports. Published commentary is written in collegial tone, within a sense of shared discovery. Commentary may relay related or contrasting clinical experiences or perspectives, offer new insight, or suggest areas for extension or consideration (6–9 typed, double-spaced pages for commentary; 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages for author reply).
Reflections
Reflections are insights and advice from the "front lines," in the form of personal perspectives written in the first person, offered by clinicians and others in the field. Reflections may explore spirituality in treatment and describe first-hand experiences that illustrate particularly effective treatment techniques or approaches to resolving difficult situations and challenges, recognizing that the rapidly emerging field of psychospiritual treatment will benefit from such personal insight. Reflections are relatively brief ranging from 4 to 7 typed, double-spaced pages in length.
Manuscript preparation
Review APA's Journal Manuscript Preparation Guidelines before submitting your article.
If your manuscript was mask reviewed, please ensure that the final version for production includes a byline and full author note for typesetting.
Formatting
Double-space all copy. Other formatting instructions, as well as instructions on preparing tables, figures, references, metrics, and abstracts, appear in the Manual. Additional guidance on APA Style is available on the APA Style website.
Below are additional instructions regarding the preparation of display equations, computer code, and tables.
Display equations
We strongly encourage you to use MathType (third-party software) or Equation Editor 3.0 (built into pre-2007 versions of Word) to construct your equations, rather than the equation support that is built into Word 2007 and Word 2010. Equations composed with the built-in Word 2007/Word 2010 equation support are converted to low-resolution graphics when they enter the production process and must be rekeyed by the typesetter, which may introduce errors.
To construct your equations with MathType or Equation Editor 3.0:
- Go to the Text section of the Insert tab and select Object.
- Select MathType or Equation Editor 3.0 in the drop-down menu.
If you have an equation that has already been produced using Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010 and you have access to the full version of MathType 6.5 or later, you can convert this equation to MathType by clicking on MathType Insert Equation. Copy the equation from Microsoft Word and paste it into the MathType box. Verify that your equation is correct, click File, and then click Update. Your equation has now been inserted into your Word file as a MathType Equation.
Use Equation Editor 3.0 or MathType only for equations or for formulas that cannot be produced as Word text using the Times or Symbol font.
Computer code
Because altering computer code in any way (e.g., indents, line spacing, line breaks, page breaks) during the typesetting process could alter its meaning, we treat computer code differently from the rest of your article in our production process. To that end, we request separate files for computer code.
In online supplemental material
We request that runnable source code be included as supplemental material to the article. For more information, visit Supplementing Your Article With Online Material.
In the text of the article
If you would like to include code in the text of your published manuscript, please submit a separate file with your code exactly as you want it to appear, using Courier New font with a type size of 8 points. We will make an image of each segment of code in your article that exceeds 40 characters in length. (Shorter snippets of code that appear in text will be typeset in Courier New and run in with the rest of the text.) If an appendix contains a mix of code and explanatory text, please submit a file that contains the entire appendix, with the code keyed in 8-point Courier New.
Tables
Use Word's insert table function when you create tables. Using spaces or tabs in your table will create problems when the table is typeset and may result in errors.
Academic writing and English language editing services
Authors who feel that their manuscript may benefit from additional academic writing or language editing support prior to submission are encouraged to seek out such services at their host institutions, engage with colleagues and subject matter experts, and/or consider several vendors that offer discounts to APA authors.
Please note that APA does not endorse or take responsibility for the service providers listed. It is strictly a referral service.
Use of such service is not mandatory for publication in an APA journal. Use of one or more of these services does not guarantee selection for peer review, manuscript acceptance, or preference for publication in any APA journal.
Submitting supplemental materials
APA can place supplemental materials online, available via the published article in the APA PsycArticles® database. Please see Supplementing Your Article With Online Material for more details.
Abstract and keywords
All manuscripts must include an abstract containing a maximum of 250 words typed on a separate page. After the abstract, please supply up to five keywords or brief phrases.
References
List references in alphabetical order. Each listed reference should be cited in text, and each text citation should be listed in the references section.
Examples of basic reference formats:
Journal article
McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development. Psychological Review, 126(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126
Authored book
Brown, L. S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000092-000
Chapter in an edited book
Balsam, K. F., Martell, C. R., Jones. K. P., & Safren, S. A. (2019). Affirmative cognitive behavior therapy with sexual and gender minority people. In G. Y. Iwamasa & P. A. Hays (Eds.), Culturally responsive cognitive behavior therapy: Practice and supervision (2nd ed., pp. 287–314). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000119-012
Figures
Preferred formats for graphics files are TIFF and JPG, and preferred format for vector-based files is EPS. Graphics downloaded or saved from web pages are not acceptable for publication. Multipanel figures (i.e., figures with parts labeled a, b, c, d, etc.) should be assembled into one file. When possible, please place symbol legends below the figure instead of to the side.
Resolution
- All color line art and halftones: 300 DPI
- Black and white line tone and gray halftone images: 600 DPI
Line weights
- Adobe Photoshop images
- Color (RGB, CMYK) images: 2 pixels
- Grayscale images: 4 pixels
- Adobe Illustrator Images
- Stroke weight: 0.5 points
APA offers authors the option to publish their figures online in color without the costs associated with print publication of color figures.
The same caption will appear on both the online (color) and print (black and white) versions. To ensure that the figure can be understood in both formats, authors should add alternative wording (e.g., “the red (dark gray) bars represent”) as needed.
For authors who prefer their figures to be published in color both in print and online, original color figures can be printed in color at the editor's and publisher's discretion provided the author agrees to pay:
- $900 for one figure
- An additional $600 for the second figure
- An additional $450 for each subsequent figure
Permissions
Authors of accepted papers must obtain and provide to the editor on final acceptance all necessary permissions to reproduce in print and electronic form any copyrighted work, including test materials (or portions thereof), photographs, and other graphic images (including those used as stimuli in experiments).
On advice of counsel, APA may decline to publish any image whose copyright status is unknown.
Publication policies
For full details on publication policies, including use of Artificial Intelligence tools, please see APA Publishing Policies.
APA policy prohibits an author from submitting the same manuscript for concurrent consideration by two or more publications.
See also APA Journals® Internet Posting Guidelines.
APA requires authors to reveal any possible conflict of interest in the conduct and reporting of research (e.g., financial interests in a test or procedure, funding by pharmaceutical companies for drug research).
Ethical Principles
It is a violation of APA Ethical Principles to publish "as original data, data that have been previously published" (Standard 8.13).
In addition, APA Ethical Principles specify that "after research results are published, psychologists do not withhold the data on which their conclusions are based from other competent professionals who seek to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis and who intend to use such data only for that purpose, provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and unless legal rights concerning proprietary data preclude their release" (Standard 8.14).
APA expects authors to adhere to these standards. Specifically, APA expects authors to have their data available throughout the editorial review process and for at least 5 years after the date of publication.
Authors are required to state in writing that they have complied with APA ethical standards in the treatment of their sample, human or animal, or to describe the details of treatment.
The APA Ethics Office provides the full Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct electronically on its website in HTML, PDF, and Word format. You may also request a copy by emailing or calling the APA Ethics Office (202-336-5930). You may also read "Ethical Principles," December 1992, American Psychologist, Vol. 47, pp. 1597–1611.
Other information
See APA’s Publishing Policies page for more information on publication policies, including information on author contributorship and responsibilities of authors, author name changes after publication, the use of generative artificial intelligence, funder information and conflict-of-interest disclosures, duplicate publication, data publication and reuse, and preprints.
Visit the Journals Publishing Resource Center for more resources for writing, reviewing, and editing articles for publishing in APA journals.
Incoming editorial board
(handling all new submissions in 2025)
Incoming (2026) editor
Joseph M. Currier, PhD
University of South Alabama, United States
Incoming (2026) associate editors
Amy L. Ai, PhD
Florida State University, United States
Edward B. Davis, PsyD
Wheaton College, United States
Daniel Gutierrez, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
Amy Weisman de Mamani, PhD
University of Miami, United States
Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, PhD
Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg, United States
Incoming (2026) consulting editors
Anisah Bagasra, PhD
Kennesaw State University, United States
LaVerne Berkel
University of Missouri-Kansas City, United States
Nicholas C. Borgogna, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States
Gina Brelsford, PhD
Penn State Harrisburg, United States
Suzette Brémault-Phillips, PhD
University of Alberta, Canada
Laura E. Captari, PhD
Boston University, United States
Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD
George Washington University, United States
Don Davis, PhD
Georgia State University, United States
Frank Fincham, PhD
Florida State University, United States
George Fitchett, DMin, PhD
Rush University Medical Center, United States
Jesse Fox, PhD
Stetson University, United States
Fernando Garzon, PsyD
Regent University, United States
Irene Harris, PhD
Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, United States
William Hathaway, PhD
Regent University, United States
Anthony Isacco, PhD
Chatham University, United States
Jean Kristeller, PhD
Indiana State University, United States
Jennifer A. Madere, MA
Intuitus Group, Cedar Park, TX, United States
Annette Mahoney, PhD
Bowling Green State University, United States
Jason Nieuwsma, PhD
Duke University Medical Center, United States
Kenneth Pargament, PhD
Bowling Green State University, United States
Robert Pate, PsyD
California Baptist University, United States
Michelle Pearce, Ph.D.
University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States
John Peteet, MD
Harvard Medical School, United States
Susan Phillips, PhD
Graduate Theological Union, United States
Ralph Piedmont, PhD
Center for Professional Studies, United States
Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP
Santa Clara University and Stanford University School of Medicine, United States
P. Scott Richards, PhD
Bridges Institute for Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies, United States
Jennifer Ripley, PhD
Regent University, United States
Edward Shafranske, PhD, ABPP
Pepperdine University, United States
Wonjin Sim, PhD
Towson University, United States
Jon Sperry, PhD
Lynn University, United States
Len Sperry, MD, PhD
Florida Atlantic University, United States
Alejandro Tapia-V., PhD
Independent Practice, Monterrey, Mexico
Theresa Clement Tisdale, PhD
Azusa Pacific University, United States
Loren Toussaint, PhD
Luther College, United States
David C. Wang, PhD
Fuller Theological Seminary, United States
Jon R. Webb, PhD
Texas Tech University, United States
Everett Worthington, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
Hansong Zhang, PhD
Texas Woman’s University, United States
Outgoing editorial board
(handling invited revisions only in 2025)
Outgoing editor
Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP
Santa Clara University and Stanford University School of Medicine, United States
Outgoing associate editors
Anisah Bagasra, PhD
Kennesaw State University, United States
Anthony Isacco, PhD
Chatham University, United States
Jean Kristeller, PhD
Indiana State University, United States
Edward Shafranske, PhD, ABPP
Pepperdine University, United States
Outgoing consulting editors
LaVerne Berkel
University of Missouri-Kansas City, United States
Nicholas C. Borgogna, PhD
Texas Tech University, United States
Gina Brelsford, PhD
Penn State Harrisburg, United States
Suzette Brémault-Phillips, PhD
University of Alberta, Canada
Roger Bretherton, PsyD
University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
Laura E. Captari, PhD
Boston University, United States
John T. Chirban, PhD, ThD
Harvard Medical School, United States
Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD
George Washington University, United States
Joseph Currier, PhD
University of South Alabama, United States
Don Davis, PhD
Georgia State University, United States
John D. Dimoff, PhD
Chatham University, United States
Frank Farley, PhD
Temple University, United States
Frank Fincham, PhD
Florida State University, United States
George Fitchett, DMin, PhD
Rush University Medical Center, United States
Jesse Fox, PhD
Stetson University, United States
Fernando Garzon, PsyD
Regent University, United States
Barney Greenspan, PhD, ABPP
Independent Practice, Meridian, ID, United States
Irene Harris, PhD
Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, United States
William Hathaway, PhD
Regent University, United States
Joshua Hook, PhD
University of North Texas, United States
Andy J. Johnson, PhD
Bethel University, United States
Timothy G. Lock, Ph.D.
St. Joseph's Seminary and College (Dunwoodie), United States
David Lukoff, PhD
Sofia University, United States
Jennifer A. Madere, MA
Intuitus Group Counseling Clinic, Cedar Park, TX, United States
Annette Mahoney, PhD
Bowling Green State University, United States
David K. Mosher, PhD
University of Central Arkansas, United States
Jason Nieuwsma, PhD
Duke University Medical Center, United States
Kenneth Pargament, PhD
Bowling Green State University, United States
Robert Pate, PsyD
California Baptist University, United States
Michelle Pearce, Ph.D.
University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States
John Peteet, MD
Harvard University, United States
Susan Phillips, PhD
Graduate Theological Union, United States
Ralph Piedmont, PhD
Center for Professional Studies, United States
Veronica Regueiro, PsyD
California Baptist University, United States
P. Scott Richards, PhD
Bridges Institute for Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies, United States
Jennifer Ripley, PhD
Regent University, United States
Abdallah Rothman, PhD
Shifaa Counseling, United Kingdom
Ethan Sahker, PhD
Kyoto University, Japan
Mona Sarshar, PhD
Independent Practice, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Wonjin Sim, PhD
Towson University, United States
Tim Sisemore, PhD
St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, United States
Jon Sperry, PhD
Lynn University, United States
Len Sperry, MD, PhD
Florida Atlantic University, United States
Alejandro Tapia-V., PhD
Independent Practice, Monterrey, Mexico
Theresa Clement Tisdale, PhD
Azusa Pacific University, United States
Loren Toussaint, PhD
Luther College, United States
David Wang, PhD
Fuller Theological Seminary, United States
Jon R. Webb, PhD
Texas Tech University, United States
Everett Worthington, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
Nurit Yirmiya, PhD
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Hansong Zhang, PhD
Texas Woman’s University, United States
Abstracting and indexing services providing coverage of Spirituality in Clinical Practice®
- Emerging Sources Citation Index
- OCLC
- PsycInfo
- Spirituality in Clinical Practice:
Special issue of APA's journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 1, No. 1, March 2024. In this special issue, the spiritual and religious intersectionality of professionals was explored by inviting 12 diverse professionals representing several different spiritual and religious traditions to reflect on their identities and the integration that they do to provide evidence-based professional services.
- Multicultural Considerations Regarding Spirituality in Clinical Practice:
Special issue of APA’s journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 10, No. 3, September 2023. The special issue explores six articles about multicultural considerations regarding spirituality in clinical practice.
- Islamic Spirituality in Clinical Practice:
Special issue of the APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 10, No. 1, March 2023. This special issue focuses on Islamic spirituality in clinical contexts and highlights the various ways clinicians are integrating Islam into clinical practice today.
- Spirituality in Trauma Treatment:
Special issue of APA's Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 9, No. 4, December 2022. The aim of this special issue is to review the extant empirical research on religion and spirituality abuse and trauma.
- Issues and Challenges Regarding Religious Leadership:
Special issue of APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 9, Iss. 2, June 2022. This special issue contains articles about issues and challenges regarding religious leadership.
- Prayer and Communication With the Divine, the Sacred, the Departed, and the Demonic in Spiritually Oriented Therapy:
Special issue of APA’s journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 8, No. 3, September 2021. This special issue is to explore available research and practice in this area that may be useful for researchers and clinicians a like in their work with those impacted by attempts to communicate with those who are unseen.
- Clinical Developments at the Intersection of Religious, Spiritual, and LGBTQ+ Experiences:
Special issue of APA’s Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 8, No. 2, June 2021. This special issue challenge psychologists in the psychology of religion and spirituality and in LGBTQ+ studies to consider the intersection of these historically complex areas of research, investigation, and clinical practice.
- Addressing Catholic Clergy Issues in Psychological Research and Practice:
Special issue of the APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 7, No. 4, December 2020. In this special issue, the articles advance the understanding of clergy issues such as current data about clergy in the sexual abuse era, the psychological assessment of clergy applicants, clinical approaches to treating priests with boundary violations, and measuring perceptions of clericalism.
- Multicultural and Diverse Perspectives:
Special issue of the APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 6, No. 3, September 2019. Includes articles about spiritual transformative experiences, spiritual healing, death anxiety, spiritual intelligence, and chaplaincy among multicultural and diverse populations.
- Contemplative Spiritual Life, Mindfulness, and Treatment:
Special issue of the APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice, Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2017. Includes articles about benefits of aikido for veterans, evangelical Christian mindfulness, meditation, and Buddhist counseling.
Inclusive reporting standards
- Bias-free language and community-driven language guidelines (required)
More information on this journal’s reporting standards is listed under the submission guidelines tab.
Other EDI offerings
Masked peer review
This journal offers masked peer review (where both the authors’ and reviewers’ identities are not known to the other). Research has shown that masked peer review can help reduce implicit bias against traditionally female names or early-career scientists with smaller publication records (Budden et al., 2008; Darling, 2015).
