Thank you for your interest in writing for Counseling Today.

 

Counseling Today is the premier source of news and information about professional counseling. Our articles cover many aspects of clinical work, research and practice. They present personal stories from clinicians or practical information counselors can use in everyday practice with clients or in professional/personal development.

Our editorial team welcomes submissions from ACA members with the following requirements:

  • At least one bylined author must have an active ACA membership.
  • We do not pay members for submissions we print.
  • We reserve the right to edit all submissions for style, length, clarity and readability.
  • Authors must be willing to sign a standard copyright transfer agreement.
  • Submissions must be original works written for Counseling Today, not previously published elsewhere.
  • We do not accept academic research papers or theses for Counseling Today. Visit Counseling Journals to learn more about submitting scholarly articles. 

We’re especially interested in submissions for the following: 

Member Blog posts (500-1,000 words) provide an overview of a specific topic, offer your unique experience or perspective, and give practical tips and takeaways for mental health professionals or their clients. Your blog post should:

  • Be written by a single author with an active ACA membership.
  • Be previously unpublished content.
  • Be informational and not contain commercial promotional content.
  • Be written in plain language and be well organized with headers, subheaders and bulleted lists to break up chunks of text.
  • Incorporate research findings and citations into the natural flow of the narrative and explain their significance in plain terms. We do not publish footnotes, citations or reference lists.
  • Include a proposed title and author byline. Your byline should include your name and no more than three post-nominals (e.g., "By Jane Smith, PhD, LMHC, LPC"). Do not include job titles.
  • Include an author biography (up to 75 words) with an optional link to where readers can reach you or learn more (e.g., email, LinkedIn, website).
  • Include an author photo. Send a high-resolution (300 DPI) headshot or professional-looking selfie.

Case Study articles (up to 1,000 words) are written in a narrative/storytelling style to describe a single clinical case that illustrates work around a specific issue or therapeutic challenge (such as using EMDR to help a client process traumatic loss). Your case study should:

  • Change identifying information to protect privacy and adhere to applicable laws and ethical codes.
  • Establish the clinical challenge or problem in the first few paragraphs.
  • Describe the clinical approach you used and incorporate descriptive dialogue.
  • Reflect on what you learned or what the outcome means for the client or other mental health professionals.
  • Include a proposed title and author byline. Your byline should include your name and no more than three post-nominals (e.g., "By Jane Smith, PhD, LMHC, LPC"). Do not include job titles.
  • Include an author biography (up to 75 words) with an optional link to where readers can reach you or learn more (e.g., email, LinkedIn, website).

Knowledge Share articles (up to 1,000 words) offer an educational look at a timely topic from the field, such as a session from a recent ACA conference or summit. Your article should:

  • Present information in a practical, informative way.
  • Use an informal yet professional tone, like talking to a colleague over lunch.
  • Be backed by research but not be presented as a scholarly or academic journal article. 
  • Incorporate research findings and citations into the natural flow of the narrative and explain their significance in plain terms. We do not publish footnotes, citations or reference lists.
  • Include a proposed title and author byline. Your byline should include your name and no more than three post-nominals (e.g., "By Jane Smith, PhD, LMHC, LPC"). Do not include job titles.
  • Include an author biography (up to 75 words) with an optional link to where readers can reach you or learn more (e.g., email, LinkedIn, website).
  • Include an author photo. Send a high-resolution (300 DPI) headshot or professional-looking selfie.

My Counseling Journey articles (up to 500 words) present interesting personal stories about career growth and professional development. Your article should:

  • Focus on a particular aspect of your work, career and life.
  • Use a narrative format and friendly tone.
  • Answer the question, “How did I get here?” 
  • Include a proposed title and author byline. Your byline should include your name and no more than three post-nominals (e.g., "By Jane Smith, PhD, LMHC, LPC"). Do not include job titles.
  • Include an author biography (up to 75 words) with an optional link to where readers can reach you or learn more (e.g., email, LinkedIn, website).
  • Include two or three photos, such as a high-resolution (300 DPI) headshot and candid photos showing your interests, hobbies or travels. Do not send group photos.

Mindful Break articles (up to 500 words) provide self-care tips for counselors, discussions of wellness trends or holistic therapies (e.g., yoga, games, art), or essays focused on wellness. Your article should:

  • Include a proposed title and author byline. Your byline should include your name and no more than three post-nominals (e.g., "By Jane Smith, PhD, LMHC, LPC"). Do not include job titles.
  • Include an author biography (up to 75 words) with an optional link to where readers can reach you or learn more (e.g., email, LinkedIn, website).

Career Consultation presents a question from a student or new professional with advice from an experienced counseling professional. Think of it like a virtual mentoring chat. Do you have a career-related question you want answered? Send it to us, along with your bio and photo, and you might be featured in an upcoming issue.


Who’s our audience?

We write articles for mental health professionals (e.g., licensed counselors, counselor educators, social workers, psychologists) and those interested in learning more about mental health (i.e., the public). When you write, assume your reader is either a knowledgeable peer or a future client.

What’s our style?

Counseling Today follows Associated Press (AP) style. Authors do not need to be familiar with this style to submit an article but should understand we will edit submissions to conform to AP style.

When submitting an article, follow these writing guidelines:

  • Use a clear, concise, engaging and accessible style that’s free of jargon and idioms.
  • We do not publish footnotes, citations or reference lists. If referring to research findings, explain their significance in plain terms. Include any attribution within the natural flow of the article.
  • Write in a voice and style you would use if you were having a conversation with a close colleague about the topic.
  • Before submitting your article, please read examples of our content to get a sense of the kind of writing we publish.

How do I submit an article?

Email your submission as an attachment in Microsoft Word to ct@counseling.org according to the guidance listed above for specific types of articles.

What happens after I submit my article?

We will acknowledge receipt of your article within several business days. Our editorial team will review your manuscript for adherence to the submission guidelines, writing style and quality, alignment with readers’ needs and thematic diversity. High-scoring manuscripts move into a “potential” story bank for possible development in the next six to 12 months. If your article is accepted, we will contact you about next steps in the publishing process. Articles usually require one to two rounds of revisions.

We receive a large volume of submissions, including more high-quality articles than we have space to publish. Unfortunately, we can’t provide individual feedback on articles we are not able to use. 

Other questions? 

Please email us at ct@counseling.org.

American Counseling Association

2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 300, Alexandria, Va. 22314 | 800-347-6647 | (fax) 800-473-2329

My ACA     Join Now      Contact Us     Privacy Policy     Terms of Use     © All Rights Reserved.