Journal of Counseling: Scope & Indexing

Researchers, counselor educators, and clinicians searching for the journal of counseling typically seek information regarding the flagship academic publications in professional counseling and counseling psychology. Because no single publication operates under the bare title “Journal of Counseling,” the search intent centers on two preeminent peer-reviewed journals: the Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD), published by Wiley for the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP), published by the American Psychological Association (APA). Understanding the editorial mandates, indexing statuses, bibliometric profiles, and author submission requirements of these primary counseling journals ensures authors target the appropriate venue for their manuscripts.

What it is

The term journal of counseling represents the authoritative literature base of the counseling profession. In scholarly communication, this domain is anchored by two flagship periodicals serving distinct branches of behavioral healthcare, research, and counselor preparation:

• Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD): The official flagship journal of the American Counseling Association (ACA). Established in 1921 as the National Vocational Guidance Bulletin, it evolved through Occupations: The Vocational Guidance Journal (1933–1952) and The Personnel and Guidance Journal (1952–1984) before taking its current title in 1984. JCD publishes broad-spectrum research, clinical practice frameworks, and professional advocacy articles relevant to counselors across school, college, community agency, and private practice settings.
• Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP): The flagship scientific journal of APA Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology), founded in 1954. JCP focuses on empirical research examining counseling interventions, therapeutic processes, vocational development, cross-cultural mental health, and psychological assessment.

Both publications implement rigorous peer review to evaluate submissions and disseminate therapeutic insights. While JCD emphasizes professional counselor identity and clinical intervention across community settings, JCP emphasizes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method psychological research grounded in health service psychology.

Who runs it and what it covers

Selecting the right journal of counseling requires examining governing bodies, editorial scope, and technical specifications for each title.

Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD)

• Sponsoring Organization: American Counseling Association (ACA).
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell.
• ISSN: Print ISSN: 0748-9633; Online ISSN (eISSN): 1556-6676.
• Publication Frequency: Quarterly.
• Aims and Scope: JCD covers 18 counseling specialty areas across four manuscript categories:
  • Research: Empirical studies informing counseling practice and counselor education.
  • Assessment and Diagnosis: Psychometric evaluations, clinical diagnostic methods, and measurement protocols.
  • Theory and Practice: Conceptual models and evidence-informed counseling interventions.
  • Trends: Professional advocacy, ethical standards, and systemic developments in counseling.
• Indexing: Clarivate Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index / SSCI), Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, and PubMed Central (citations via NLM ID 8411728).

Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP)

• Sponsoring Organization: APA Division 17 (Society of Counseling Psychology).
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA).
• ISSN: Print ISSN: 0022-0167; Online ISSN (eISSN): 1939-2168.
• Publication Frequency: Bi-monthly (6 issues annually).
• Aims and Scope: JCP publishes empirical research on therapeutic relationship dynamics, counselor training, vocational behavior, diversity competencies, and psychological measurement. Submissions must adhere to APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS).
• Indexing: Clarivate Web of Science (SSCI), Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed (NLM ID 0376371), PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES.

Both journals maintain strong citation metrics tracked through Clarivate’s journal impact factor and Scopus CiteScore benchmarks.

How to search or use it

Authors and researchers interact with these counseling publications through standardized publisher platforms and manuscript management workflows:

1. Access the Official Publication Portal: Visit the official journal pages on Wiley Online Library for JCD (ISSN 1556-6676) or APA PsycNet for JCP to retrieve validated author instructions.
2. Execute Precision Literature Searches: Query indexed archives using boolean operators and controlled vocabulary terms (such as APA Thesaurus descriptors), filtering by publication date and article category.
3. Audit Editorial Scope: Review the latest two to three issues on the publisher portal to assess methodological approaches and conceptual topics currently prioritized by the editors.
4. Format to Publication Standards: Prepare manuscripts in strict compliance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). Remove author identities and institutional markers from the main document to ensure masked review.
5. Assemble Compliance Statements: Draft required declarations, including institutional review board (IRB) approvals, conflict of interest statements, and data transparency disclosures aligned with Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) guidelines.
6. Submit Through the Editorial Management System: Upload submission files to the journal’s portal. JCD uses the Wiley Research Exchange (ScholarOne Manuscripts), while JCP processes papers via APA Editorial Manager.
7. Manage Editorial Review and Decision Stages: Track manuscript progression through editor triage, associate editor assignment, and external peer review. Upon acceptance, authors address proofs and determine open-access licensing preferences.

Authors may elect traditional zero-cost publishing under standard subscription models or pay an article processing charge (APC) to release articles under an open access license, or archive an author accepted manuscript under institutional repository terms.

Strengths and limits

Evaluating the flagship counseling journals involves balancing their disciplinary authority against practical publication factors:

• Strengths:
  • Disciplinary Authority: Both JCD and JCP serve as reference-standard venues in counseling and counseling psychology, conferring high credibility upon published research.
  • Exhaustive Indexing: Full coverage in Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO provides international visibility and citation tracking.
  • Methodological and Ethical Rigor: Adherence to COPE guidelines, APA JARS, and TOP reporting standards ensures robust, reproducible science.
  • No Mandatory Author Fees: Both journals offer traditional subscription-based publishing routes with zero mandatory author fees.
• Limits:
  • High Selectivity: Acceptance rates are competitive; clinical manuscripts lacking empirical validation are frequently declined by JCP, while purely laboratory studies may fall outside JCD’s practice scope.
  • Extended Editorial Cycles: Comprehensive double-blind review and revision rounds typically require four to eight months from initial submission to final decision.
  • Gold Open Access Costs: While standard publication is free, authors choosing immediate gold open access incur commercial APC fees unless covered by transformative institutional agreements.

Alternatives

Authors exploring the wider landscape of counseling journals can evaluate several established peer-reviewed alternatives tailored to specific practice areas, methodologies, and professional domains:

Journal Title	Sponsoring Body & Publisher	Primary Scope & Focus	Review Model	Access Model
Journal of Counseling & Development	American Counseling Association (Wiley)	Broad-spectrum clinical practice, assessment, advocacy, and counselor education	Double-blind	Hybrid (Subscription / OnlineOpen APC)
Journal of Counseling Psychology	APA Division 17 (American Psychological Association)	Empirical psychological research, therapeutic processes, vocational psychology	Masked (Double-blind)	Hybrid (Subscription / Open Select APC)
The Counseling Psychologist	APA Division 17 (SAGE Publishing)	Conceptual reviews, focal articles, social justice, and systemic counseling practice	Double-blind	Hybrid (Subscription / Choice APC)
Counselor Education and Supervision	ACES / ACA (Wiley)	Supervision models, counselor training programs, and pedagogical research	Double-blind	Hybrid (Subscription / OnlineOpen APC)
Journal of College Counseling	ACCA / ACA (Wiley)	Collegiate mental health, student counseling services, and higher education practice	Double-blind	Hybrid (Subscription / OnlineOpen APC)
Journal of Mental Health Counseling	American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)	Clinical mental health counseling, psychopathology, and clinical interventions	Double-blind	Subscription / Open Options
Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development	AMCD / ACA (Wiley)	Multicultural counseling, racial and ethnic diversity, and social equity	Double-blind	Hybrid (Subscription / OnlineOpen APC)

FAQ

What is the difference between the Journal of Counseling & Development and the Journal of Counseling Psychology?

The Journal of Counseling & Development (JCD) is published by Wiley for the American Counseling Association (ACA) and focuses on clinical practice, supervision, and professional counseling issues across diverse settings. The Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) is published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and focuses on empirical psychological research, psychotherapeutic mechanisms, and vocational theory within health service psychology.

Do counseling journals require open access publication fees?

Neither JCD nor JCP requires authors to pay publication fees under their standard subscription tracks. Both operate as hybrid journals: authors can publish without fees under traditional library subscription models, or voluntarily pay an article processing charge (APC) to provide immediate gold open access under a Creative Commons license.

What formatting guidelines apply to counseling journal submissions?

Both journals mandate formatting in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th edition). In addition, empirical submissions to JCP must comply with APA Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS), including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods reporting checklists.

How does the peer review process operate for these journals?

Both journals utilize double-blind (masked) peer review, meaning author identities and institutional affiliations are concealed from reviewers, and reviewer identities remain anonymous to authors. Submissions require a blinded manuscript file alongside a separate title page containing author details.

Where are the flagship counseling journals indexed?

Both JCD and JCP are comprehensively indexed in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index), Scopus, and APA PsycINFO. JCP is also fully indexed in the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE and PubMed databases.

Sources

• American Counseling Association (ACA). Journal of Counseling & Development Aims, Scope, and Author Guidelines. Wiley Online Library. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15566676
• American Psychological Association (APA). Journal of Counseling Psychology Manuscript Submission Guidelines and Reporting Standards. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/cou
• National Library of Medicine (NLM). NLM Catalog: Journal of Counseling Psychology (NLM ID 0376371; ISSN 0022-0167) and Journal of Counseling & Development (NLM ID 8411728; ISSN 0748-9633). Accessed November 10, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Counseling and Psychotherapy Subject Directory and Indexing Standards. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://doaj.org